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Forests
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Pest Infestation in Trees: Mechanisms, Effects and Control Methods
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Pest Infestation in Trees: Mechanisms, Effects and Control Methods

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 921

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zehai Hou

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Guest Editor
Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: forest entomology; wood borer; insect behavioral ecology
Prof. Dr. Jing Tao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: forest entomology; wood borer; pest outbreak mechanisms; molecular detection of forest pests
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Dun Jiang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
Interests: forest entomology; pollution ecology; biological control; nucleic acid pesticide
Dr. Lili Ren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Beijing Key Laboratory for Forest Pest Control, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
2. Sino-French Joint Laboratory for Invasive Forest Pests in Eurasia, BFU-INRAE, Beijing, China
Interests: forest entomology; chemical ecology; host microbial interactions; wood borer and its symbiosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tuuli-Marjaana Koski

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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: plant defence; plant-insect-microbial intections; Fraxinus spp.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Forests and urban trees are facing escalating threats from native and invasive pests on a global scale, causing significant ecological disruption, economic losses, and diminished ecosystem services. Understanding the intricate mechanisms of infestation—including host selection, colonization strategies, feeding ecology, vector–pathogen interactions, and tree physiological responses—is fundamental to developing effective countermeasures. Quantifying the multifaceted effects of these infestations is particularly crucial, encompassing impacts on individual tree health, growth, and mortality; alterations to forest structure, biodiversity, and resilience; and broader socio-economic consequences. This Special Issue of Forests hopes to advance knowledge in these areas while highlighting innovative and sustainable control methods. We welcome original research and reviews on integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, such as biological control, silvicultural practices, host resistance breeding, chemical ecology (semiochemicals), precision technologies, and environmentally compatible interventions. We particularly seek contributions that address emerging challenges posed by climate change, the spread of invasive species, novel detection/monitoring techniques, and the integration of multidisciplinary approaches. This collection aims to provide a comprehensive resource for researchers, forest managers, and policymakers dedicated to preserving our vital tree resources.

Dr. Zehai Hou
Prof. Dr. Jing Tao
Prof. Dr. Dun Jiang
Dr. Lili Ren
Dr. Tuuli-Marjaana Koski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tree pests
  • forest health
  • invasive species
  • pest management
  • integrated pest management (IPM)
  • tree physiology
  • pathogen vectors
  • biological control
  • climate change impacts

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 843 KB  
Article
The Lesser of Two Weevils: Differential Susceptibility of Chinese–American Chestnut Hybrids to Curculio sayi
by Evan Hausler, Harley Hale, Vasiliy T. Lakoba, Jonathan Horton, Denis S. Willett and Camila C. Filgueiras
Forests 2026, 17(4), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17040450 - 3 Apr 2026
Viewed by 183
Abstract
The American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.) was a foundation species whose loss reshaped eastern North American forests. Ongoing breeding with blight-resistant Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) represents the leading strategy for its restoration. However, breeding programs have focused almost exclusively [...] Read more.
The American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.) was a foundation species whose loss reshaped eastern North American forests. Ongoing breeding with blight-resistant Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) represents the leading strategy for its restoration. However, breeding programs have focused almost exclusively on pathogen resistance, leaving susceptibility to native seed predators unexamined—a critical gap, because nut production underpins the ecological function that restoration seeks to recover. Here, we investigate how hybridization level affects infestation by the lesser chestnut weevil (Curculio sayi (Gyllenhal, 1836)), monitoring 25 genetic lines across four genetic categories (Chinese, F1, backcross, and American) for larval emergence, weight loss, damage, and emergence timing over eight weeks. Hybridization dramatically altered susceptibility: F1 hybrids were the most susceptible category. No larval emergence was observed from American chestnuts, and backcross hybrids remained substantially susceptible despite three–four generations of backcrossing. These results expose a fundamental trade-off for restoration: blight resistance derives from the Chinese genome, whereas weevil resistance appears to be associated with the American genome. Backcross lines bred for blight resistance retain weevil susceptibility, and F1 hybrids risk functioning as pest sinks that amplify local weevil populations. Incorporating weevil resistance screening into breeding programs could help us to ensure that restored chestnuts can fulfill their historical role as mast-producing foundation trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Infestation in Trees: Mechanisms, Effects and Control Methods)
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16 pages, 4039 KB  
Article
Sexual Dimorphism in the Sensory Organs of Monochamus saltuarius Gebler (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae): A Morphometric Analysis of Compound Eyes and Stridulatory Files
by Jingjing Yang, Yue Xiang and Zehai Hou
Forests 2026, 17(1), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010145 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 305
Abstract
The Sakhalin pine sawyer, Monochamus saltuarius Gebler, 1830 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is a newly discovered insect vector of the pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) in China. Despite its ecological importance, the detailed morphology of its sensory systems remains largely unexplored. This study [...] Read more.
The Sakhalin pine sawyer, Monochamus saltuarius Gebler, 1830 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is a newly discovered insect vector of the pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) in China. Despite its ecological importance, the detailed morphology of its sensory systems remains largely unexplored. This study presents comprehensive ultrastructural analysis of the compound eyes and stridulatory organs in adult M. saltuarius, with a focus on sexual differences. Our morphometric results revealed pronounced sexual dimorphism: males possessed significantly larger compound eyes in terms of total area and perimeter. Furthermore, all three types of ommatidial facets (hexagonal, pentagonal, and quadrilateral) exhibited significantly greater area, perimeter, and diameter in males. Interestingly, while the total number of ommatidia and the counts within the dorsal and ventral eye regions showed no significant sexual difference, they were strongly positively correlated with body length in both sexes. Regarding the stridulatory organs, key morphological features including the transverse diameter, longitudinal diameter, and width of the lateral sulcus of the stridulatory file were also significantly greater in males. In contrast, no sexual dimorphism was detected in the width or density of the stridulatory teeth. These findings collectively indicate a significant investment in sexually dimorphic sensory organs in M. saltuarius, which we hypothesize is closely linked to sex-specific behavioral roles, particularly in active mate searching, courtship displays, and intrasexual competition. This research provides a crucial morphological foundation for understanding the species’ visual and acoustic communication, supporting future work on its sensory ecology and the development of behavior-based control strategies for pine wilt disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pest Infestation in Trees: Mechanisms, Effects and Control Methods)
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