A new research project led through the AFWI Centre for Sustainable Futures is developing innovative approaches to one of the most persistent biosecurity challenges facing Australia’s pine plantation estate, the bark beetle Ips grandicollis.
Covering more than one million hectares, Australia’s pine plantations are a critical source of softwood timber. However, they are increasingly vulnerable to Ips, a bark beetle that colonises stressed or recently harvested trees and introduces blue-stain fungi that degrade timber quality, reduce marketability, and can impact export access. These risks are most acute following large-scale disturbance events such as fire, drought, cyclones and harvesting operations.
Dr Andrew Hayes, Senior Forest Health Research Fellow at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Forest Research Institute, said “Climate-driven stress events are changing the risk profile for plantation forestry, increasing both the frequency and scale of Ips outbreaks.”
“As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, the conditions that favour Ips outbreaks are becoming more common,” Dr Hayes said. “Stressed stands and large volumes of freshly felled timber create ideal breeding and colonisation opportunities, particularly in post-fire and salvage contexts where operational pressures are already high.”
Current management approaches, including silvicultural practices and biological control, remain important but are not sufficient under outbreak conditions. Broad-scale insecticide applications can reduce damage in some international systems but are often expensive, operationally complex, and restricted in certified plantations.
“Existing tools remain important, but they are not designed to manage the scale and intensity of outbreak scenarios under a changing climate,” said Dr Hayes.
Dr Hayes is leading the AFWI project, titled ‘Protecting salvage logs, standing trees and log stacks from Ips bark beetles,’ working in partnership with the University of the Sunshine Coast, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, HQPlantations and Forestry Corporation of NSW to develop practical, scalable tools for industry use.
The research is focused on two complementary strategies. The first is a “push–pull” system using semiochemicals – chemical signals that influence insect behaviour – to repel beetles away from vulnerable timber while attracting them into targeted trap areas. This approach builds on recent findings identifying compounds that disrupt Ips attraction, offering a potential pathway to more precise behavioural control.
The second strategy involves insecticide-impregnated netting designed to protect log stacks and salvage timber in situ. This method provides targeted protection of high-value timber without the need for whole-tree spraying, offering a potentially more efficient and operationally practical alternative. Similar systems used overseas have demonstrated strong effectiveness in reducing beetle colonisation of stored logs.
“The opportunity here is to move from broad, resource-intensive treatments to highly targeted protection strategies that can be deployed exactly where and when they are needed,” said Dr Hayes.
A central focus of the project is understanding how long harvested or damaged timber remains vulnerable to Ips attack following events such as fire, drought or harvesting operations.
By analysing existing datasets and conducting field-based assessments, the research aims to define the “salvage window,” the critical period during which protection measures are most effective. This will help optimise salvage operations, improve recovery rates, and reduce unnecessary treatment costs.
To date, two field sites have been established in Queensland, providing early-stage trial infrastructure for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed approaches under real-world plantation conditions.
Industry partners including HQPlantations and Forestry Corporation of NSW are central to the project, providing field sites, operational expertise and direct input into trial design and implementation. Their involvement ensures the research remains closely aligned with operational forestry requirements and can be readily translated into practice.
Partners also play a key role in evaluating cost-benefit outcomes and supporting the assessment of scalability across different plantation systems and disturbance scenarios.
Ultimately, the AFWI Centre for Sustainable Futures project aims to improve the resilience of Australia’s plantation forestry sector in the face of increasing climate variability and biosecurity pressure. By developing targeted, evidence-based approaches to managing Ips, the research supports improved timber recovery, reduced losses, and more efficient salvage operations.
“Strengthening our ability to protect vulnerable timber resources is essential to maintaining the productivity and sustainability of Australia’s plantation estate,” Dr Hayes said.
“Our goal is to give forest managers better tools to reduce pest damage, improve timber recovery, and support a more resilient and sustainable forestry industry amid changing climatic conditions.”
Editor’s note:
Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) is a national research and innovation institute valued up to $200m, backed by a Commonwealth Government investment of $100m. AFWI includes three research centres hosted by the University of the Sunshine Coast (AFWI Centre for Sustainable Futures), the University of Tasmania, and the University of Melbourne. This project is funded through the AFWI Centre for Sustainable Futures.
Project snapshot
- Project title: Protecting salvage logs, standing trees and log stacks from Ips bark beetles
- Program: AFWI Centre for Sustainable Futures
- Project lead: Dr Andrew Hayes, Senior Forest Health Research Fellow, Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast
- Collaborators: University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), NSW DPIRD, HQPlantations, Forestry Corporation of NSW
- Focus: Developing targeted, practical and cost-effective strategies to reduce damage caused by Ips grandicollis in Australia’s pine plantations, particularly following fire, drought, harvesting and other stress events.
- Problem: Ips bark beetles colonise stressed or recently harvested timber and vector blue-stain fungi that reduce timber quality, marketability and export access. Climate change is increasing the frequency of conditions that favour outbreaks, while current management tools are limited in outbreak scenarios.
- Approach: The project is testing two innovative strategies: a behavioural “push–pull” system using semiochemicals to repel beetles and attract them into traps, and insecticide-impregnated netting to protect log stacks and salvage timber in the field. It also analyses post-disturbance attack timing to define the operational “salvage window” for protection.
- Progress to date: Two field sites have been established in Queensland to trial and validate approaches under real plantation conditions.
- Outcomes: The project will deliver practical tools and decision-support for forest managers to optimise salvage operations, reduce timber losses, improve cost-effectiveness, and strengthen plantation resilience under increasing climate and biosecurity pressure.
