130 PROTECTION OF AFFORESTED AREAS 



histories of similar pests (identical species) in Ger- 

 many and France. Recent investigation work in 

 some cases has shown that some of this second-hand 

 information will not necessarily prove of practical 

 working use to the forester in charge of woods in 

 this country. A considerable amount of research 

 work is therefore urgently necessary in this direc- 

 tion if we are to protect our woods from this 

 dangerous source of attack. 



But there are more pressing needs. 



Owing to the haphazard methods on which the 

 woods have been worked during the past century, 

 there has always been plenty of material throughout 

 the country for the more dangerous classes of pests, 

 in which category may be placed the bark beetles, 

 to breed in without necessarily, to the superficial 

 view, endangering the living trees standing in the 

 woods. During the war years we have been felling 

 extensively in our home woods. All the material 

 which has not been serviceable, tops, branchwood, 

 and so forth, has been left in situ on the areas. This 

 mass of material has served as admirable breeding- 

 places for the BARK BEETLE pests and for the well- 

 known WEEVIL (Hylobius), which causes widespread 

 damage in young newly formed conifer plantations. 

 Millions of these two classes of insects alone have 

 been reared throughout the country during the past 

 four years. Inevitably we shall have to face serious 

 attacks from these insects in the near future, and 

 it will be imperative that those who have charge of 

 the afforestation schemes should bear this serious 

 problem in mind. 



