Based on this information, write a new short title in English: “Mass deaths began to occur in pine trees as a result of the invasion of bark beetles in red pine forests” – BRTK

Cyprus Foundation for Combating Erosion, Afforestation and Protection of Natural Assets (KEMA) stated that mass deaths began to occur in pine trees as a result of the invasion of bark beetles in the Red Pine forests, and noted that the dried trees were cut down and transported to coal mines as firewood and criticized this.

Claiming that the Minister of Agriculture is the one responsible for the current situation as a result of the lack of an effective fight against the pine processionary beetle, KEMA said, “We are calling on the ruling and opposition MPs. “It has become necessary to allocate a necessary budget for the next year to save the forests and for an effective fight,” he said.

In his written statement, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, İlkay İlseven, said that as a result of the lack of an effective fight against the pine processionary beetle after 2020, the insect density has increased every year, and the risk of an epidemic has been faced by remaining well above the damage threshold value.

İlseven said, “The increase of the pine processionary beetle by 250-300 to 1 every year, the density of the insect has increased to astronomical figures in 4 years without struggle, and in parallel with this increase, the damage caused by the insect has increased, causing an increase of over 66% and growth losses in the pine trees it infested.” formed, the trees lost their resistance, became sick and weak.” he said.

Stating that the main reason for this disaster in the forests was the lack of an effective fight against the pine processionary beetle, İlseven said, “The Ministers, Undersecretaries and Directors of the period who insisted on not applying the aerial biological fight, which is the main fight, committed a crime by abusing their duties and responsibilities, and caused material and moral damage to the state and our people.” ” he said. İlseven invited the Court of Accounts and the Legal Department to take action regarding this issue.

İlseven continued his statement as follows:

“As a result of the studies carried out by the Forestry Department on insect density, it has been calculated that this year will be much higher than last year and the forest area to be infected will cover an area of ​​15000 Hectares. This gives us information and warns us about the danger that will be experienced in the coming short term and the damage it will cause to the forest, environment, health, tourism and similar sectors.

It is like this: Pine forest areas will be painted red, photosynthesis will stop in the trees that lose their green needles, and as a result, there will be a decrease in the amount of oxygen released into the atmosphere for a period of 3-4 months. If we make a simple calculation, scientifically, 1 Hectare of Pine forest produces 30 Tons of oxygen in 1 year. The oxygen release of 15000 Hectares of infected area would be 450,000 Tons in 1 year. Since production will stop for 4 months, this means that 1350 tons of oxygen will be lost. On the other hand, insects in this density will enter homes and cause allergies, asthma, and coma by swollen lymph nodes. “Tourists who will come to this country will see red forests instead of green for a while.”