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The trees and forests of Europe are increasingly under threat from new pests and diseases that have originated in other parts of the world. Early detection of alien species when they first appear in European countries allows rapid response and offers the best chance to mitigate against their establishment and spread. Citizen science initiatives such as LIFE ARTEMIS in Slovenia, and Observatree in the UK, provide members of the public with the necessary training and educational resource to identify these tree pests and diseases and report them to the appropriate authorities, thereby increasing the level of surveillance and the capacity of the early warning system. This paper summarises some of the outcomes of these two projects and how they have both become integral parts of the official forest and tree health monitoring systems within their respective countries of Slovenia and the United Kingdom.

Požar Goriški Kras, ki je vzplamtel 15. 7. 2022, pogašen pa je bil 29. 7. 2022, je doslej največji požar v Sloveniji, saj je zajel skupaj 3.707 ha površin, od tega 2.902 ha gozdov. Pogorela površina v Sloveniji in Italiji skupaj obsega okoli 4.500 ha. V intervencijo gašenja požara je bila že prvi dan nastanka požara vključena javna gozdarska služba, ki jo opravlja Zavod za gozdove Slovenije. Gozdarji so štabu za vodenje intervencije dali na voljo gozdarske karte z zarisom vseh prometnic. Zaradi dobrega poznavanja terena je bila glavna naloga ZGS sprva pomagati posameznim gasilnim enotam pri orientaciji v prostoru in usmerjanju po protipožarnih presekah in gozdnih cestah. V času največjega razvoja požara so bile naloge delavcev ZGS preusmerjene v sečnjo ob prometnicah in naseljih, kjer bi bilo mogoče ustaviti širjenje požara. V aktivnost so se vključili tudi gozdarji družbe Slovenski državni gozdovi (SiDG) in iz ZGS vpoklicani izvajalci sečnje in drugih del na protipožarnih presekah ter prostovoljci. Neposredna škoda v gozdovih je bila ocenjena na 24,9 milijona evrov, požar pa je pomembno prizadel tudi ekološke in socialne funkcije gozda The Goriški Kras fire which flared up on July 15, 2022, and was extinguished on July 29, 2022, represents the largest fire in Slovenia up to now since it engulfed a total of 3.707 ha of the areas, thereof 2.902 ha of forests. The whole burntarea in Slovenia and Italy covers about 4.500 ha. The public forestry service performed by the Slovenia Forest Service (SFS) was incorporated into the intervention on the first day of the fire. The foresters placed forestry maps with the delineation of all forest roads at the Intervention headquarters’ disposal. Due to their thorough terrain knowledge, at first, the main ZGS task was to help individual fire-fighting units with their spatial orientation and direct them on the firebreaks and forest roads. In the time of the maximum fire development, the SFS workers’ tasks were redirected into the execution of felling along the traffic roads and settlements where it could have been possible to stop the fire from spreading. The foresters of the Slovenian State Forests (SiDG) company and other forestry companies and works, called up by the SFS, and volunteers were incorporated into the activities. The direct damage in the forests has been estimated to 24.9 million EUR. Furthermore, the fire also significantly affected the ecological and social functions of the forest.

Prepoznavanje invazivnih tujerodnih vrst (ITV) na terenu in hiter odziv na nove najdbe ITV v gozdovih sta med ključnimi izzivi gozdarske stroke. Z namenom krepitve zmogljivosti za zgodnje zaznavanje tujerodnih vrst v gozdovih je bilo v okviru projekta Osveščanje, usposabljanje in ukrepanje za invazivne tujerodne vrste v gozdu (LIFE ARTEMIS), ki je potekal v letih 2016-2020, 33 izobraževanj po Sloveniji in eno v tujini. Skupno se je izobraževanj udeležilo 1.059 udeležencev. Izobraževanja so bila izvedena za izvajalce usposabljanj, strokovnjake, lastnike gozdov, prostovoljce in zaposlene v podjetjih, povezanih z gozdom. Izobraževalni cilji usposabljanj so bili doseženi. Analiza samoocenjevalnih vprašalnikov udeležencev izobraževanj je pokazala, da so bili pred usposabljanjem malo do srednje usposobljeni, po usposabljanju pa srednje do dobro. Pred usposabljanjem je manj kot polovica anketirancev vedela, kako se odzvati, ko opazijo ITV v gozdu. Po usposabljanju pa je to vedelo več kot 90 % anketiranih. Po usposabljanju za prenos sistema za zgodnje obveščanje in hitro odzivanje (ZOHO) v druge evropske države je več kot 80 % anketiranih odgovorilo, da so se naučili nekaj novega o ITV, 79 % anketiranih pa si želi tudi v prihodnje sodelovati v sistemu ZOHO. Udeleženci si v prihodnje želijo predvsem dodatnih znanj na področju prepoznavanja ITV ter več terenskih izobraževanj. V prispevku predstavljamo rezultate spremljanja uspešnosti usposabljanj in razpravo o morebitni potrebi po dodatnih usposabljanjih na področju obveščanja in hitrega odzivanja za tujerodne vrste v gozdnem prostoru. Identifying alien invasive species (IAS) in the field and fast response to new IAS findings in forests represent one of the key challenges of modern forestry. Aiming to intensify the capacities for early detection of non-native species in forests, 33 training courses in Slovenia and one abroad were performed in the framework of the project Awareness, Training, and Actions for Non-Native Species in Forests (LIFE ARTEMIS) project taking place in years 2016-2020. A total of 1,059 participants attended the training courses. The training courses were performed for the training performers, professionals, forest owners, volunteers, and employees in the companies, connected with the forest. The training goals of these training courses were achieved. The analysis of the self-evaluation questionnaires showed that the participants had been little to fairly trained before the training and fairly to well-trained afterwards. Before the training, less than half of the respondents had known how to respond when noticing IAS in the forest. After the training, over 90 % of the respondents knew it. After the training for transferring the early warning and rapid response (EWRR) system into other European countries, over 80 % of the respondents answered that they learned something new about IAS. 79 % of the respondents wish to take part in the EWRR system also in the future. The participants want, above all, additional knowledge in the field of IAS detection and more field training in the future. In our article, we present the results of the training success monitoring and the discussion about an eventual need for additional training in the field of informing and fast response for non-native species in the forest space.

Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije je v letih 2015 do 2018 na več lokacijah v Soški dolini potrdil prisotnost glive Lecanosticta acicola, ki povzroča bolezen rjavenje borovih iglic, tudi na črnem boru (Pinus nigra), kar je glede na dosedanje raziskave te glive v Evropi redkost. Glede na rezultate raziskav in opažanja na terenu je populacija glive na črnem boru najverjetneje zelo patogena in bi lahko ogrozila naravne sestoje črnega bora v Sloveniji. V primerjavi z drugimi populacijami te glive v Sloveniji sklepamo, da je zaenkrat geografsko izolirana populacija glive na črnem boru. Zato je bila leta 2018 sprejeta odločitev, da se v Zgornjem Posočju izvedejo ukrepi za omejevanje širjenja glive. Pred decembrom 2019 je bila gliva uvrščena na seznam II.A.I Direktive Sveta 2000/29/ ES kot Scirrhia acicola. Z novo zakonodajo EU s področja zdravstvenega varstva rastlin je gliva L. acicola uvrščena na sezname nadzorovanih nekarantenskih škodljivih organizmov. Uprava za varno hrano, veterinarstvo in varstvo rastlin (UVHVVR), Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije in Zavod za gozdove Slovenije so pripravili načrt ukrepanja, ki ga je potrdil direktor UVHVVR. Ukrepanje v gozdnem prostoru je potekalo konec leta 2019 in v prvi polovici leta 2020. Slovenian Forestry Institute confirmed the presence of the fungus Lecanosticta acicola on multiple locations in the Soča Valley several times between 2015 and 2018 on black pine (Pinus nigra). Lecanosticta acicola causes the disease called brown-spot needle blight on different pine species. However, it rarely affects black pine in Europe. The results of field research and observations showed that population of L. acicola on the black pine is most likely very pathogenic and could endanger the natural stands of black pine in Slovenia. The current population in Soča Valley is geographically isolated and has been shown to be more pathogenic in comparison with other fungus population. In 2018 a decision has been made to take measures to limit the spread of the fungus in the Upper Soča Valley. Until December 2019, the fungus was included in the Annex II.A.I of the Council Directive 2000/29/EC as Scirrhia acicola. New EU plant health legislation has included L. acicola on the list of regulated non-quarantine pests. Therefore, the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection (UVHVVR), the Slovenian Forestry Institute and the Slovenia Forest Service have prepared an action plan, which has been approved by the UVHVVR director. Measures in the forest area took place at the end of 2019 and in the first half of 2020.

V besedilu sta predstavljeni organiziranost in delovanje javne gozdarske službe na področju varstva gozdov, ki obsega dve inštituciji: Zavod za gozdove Slovenije (ZGS) in Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije (GIS). Opisana je tudi umeščenost varstva gozdov v slovenski sistem zdravja rastlin, ki ga vodi Uprava za varno hrano, veterinarstvo in varstvo rastlin. V letu 2020 sodelavci GIS in ZGS vodijo ali sodelujejo v naslednjih programih preiskav karantenskih organizmov v okviru sistema zdravja rastlin: brezov krasnik (Agrilus anxius), jesenov krasnik (Agrilus planipennis), kitajski kozliček (Anoplophora chinensis), azijski kozliček (Anoplophora glabripennis), borova ogorčica (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), sibirska svilena kokljica (Dendrolimus sibiricus), bolezen tisočerih rakov (Geosmithia morbida in vektor Pityophthorus juglandis), borov smolasti rak (Fusarium circinatum), neevropski žagovinarji (Monochamus spp. (neevropski)), neevropski rilčkarji (Pissodes spp. (neevropski)), azijski ambrozijski podlubnik (Xylosandrus crassiusculus), fitoftorna sušica vej (Phytophthora ramorum). V preteklosti so sodelovali še v programih preiskav za: kostanjeva šiškarica (Dryocosmus kuryphilus), šarka (Plum pox potyvirus), rjavenje borovih iglic (Lecanosticta acicola), rdeča pegavost borovih iglic (Dothistroma spp.), hrastova uvelost (Bretziella fagacearum), zlatopegasti krasnik (Agrilus auroguttatus), borov črni rak (Atropellis spp.) in rjavenje plodov pravega kostanja (Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi). Podrobneje je predstavljeno delo o šestih škodljivih organizmih in našteti so raziskovalno-strokovni izzivi, ki bi jih slovensko gozdarstvo moralo obravnavati, da bi uspeli uresničiti končni cilj, ki je zdrav in stabilen slovenski gozd. The inclusion of forest protection in the Slovenian plant health system, which is coordinated by the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection, is discussed. Further, the Public Forestry Service, consisting of the Slovenian Forest Service and the Slovenian Forestry Institute, is described. In 2020, the Slovenian Forest Service and the Slovenian Forestry Institute, lead or participate in the following survey programmes: Agrilus anxius, Agrilus planipennis, Anoplophora chinensis, Anoplophora glabripennis, Dendrolimus sibiricus, Geosmithia morbida and its vector Pityophthorus juglandis, Fusarium circinatum, non-European Monochamus spp., non-European Pissodes spp., Xylosandrus crassiusculus, Phytophthora ramorum. In the past, the survey programmes for the following organisms were performed: Dryocosmus kuryphilus, Plum pox potyvirus, Lecanosticta acicola, Dothistroma spp., Bretziella fagacearum, Agrilus auroguttatus, Atropellis spp. and Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi. In the following contribution, the work on six harmful organisms is presented, and the research and professional challenges that Slovenian forestry should address in order to achieve the ultimate goal of a healthy and stable Slovenian forest are listed.

Natural disasters are more and more frequent in the last twenty years; they are becoming almost a constant and are increasingly larger. The main reason are weather conditions, changed conditions, as we face all sorts of climatic extremes daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Sleet at the beginning of the year 2014 exceeded all former sleet occurrences with regard to duration, persistence, and intensity. It was followed by infestation with bark beetles, which was, in addition to the basic substance, supported also by weather conditions in the past year, when the third generation could fully develop due to favorable weather conditions. Sanitation of the forests, damaged by natural disasters and bark beetles, is a priority of Slovenia Forest Service, forestry profession, forest owners, and performers of forest work already for three years in a row. Naravne ujme so v zadnjih dvajsetih letih vse pogostejše, že skoraj stalnica in vse večjih razsežnosti. Največ zaslug imajo vremenske razmere, spremenjene razmere, ko se dnevno, tedensko, mesečno, sezonsko in na letni ravni stalno soočamo z vsemi možnimi klimatskimi ekstremi. Žledenje v začetku leta 2014 je presegalo vse dosedanje po dobi trajanja, po vztrajnosti in intenzivnosti žledenja. Sledila je prenamnožitev podlubnikov, ki je imela poleg osnovne substance veliko podporo v vremenskih razmerah preteklega leta, ko je ob ugodnih vremenskih razmerah uspela razviti v celoti tudi tretjo generacijo. Sanacija poškodovanih gozdov zaradi naravnih ujm in podlubnikov je že tretje leto zapored prioritetna aktivnost Zavoda za gozdove Slovenije, gozdarske stroke, lastnikov gozdov in izvajalcev gozdarskih del.

Forests damaged by large-scale natural disturbances often call for immediate regeneration through planting and sowing in order to provide all their functions as soon as possible. In this paper, planned and accomplished use of seed and seedlings in Slovenia for the years 2007 - 2011 is presented in addition to a case study based on restoration plans and needs of a regional forestry management unit - GGO Bled. Problems such as how to ensure sufficient quantities of species rich, genetically and ecologically suitable seed and seedlings for restoration of forests after large-scale disturbances are presented. Given the presented problems, proposals on how to ensure large enough quantities of appropriate seed and seedlings more easily are presented. V ujmah poškodovani gozdovi morajo kar se da hitro ponovno opravljati svoje funkcije v največjem možnem obsegu. Pogosto je zato v močno prizadetih gozdovih potrebna obnova s sadnjo in setvijo. V prispevku smo pripravili pregled načrtovanih potreb po semenu in sadikah v Sloveniji za leta 2007 - 2011 in realizacije za ta leta, ter podrobneje prikazali potrebe po sadikah, vrstno sestavo sadnje in možnosti realizacije sanacij površin v GGO Bled. Hkrati je predstavljena problematika zagotavljanja vrstno, količinsko, genetsko in ekološko primernega semena in sadik za obnovo v ujmah poškodovanih gozdov ter podan nabor predlogov za izboljšanje zagotavljanja zadostnega števila vrstno pestrih ter kakovostnih sadik in semena primernega izvora.

Slovenia comprises a small, but, with regard to weather, a very diverse area. The climatic variability at short distances is a result of Slovenia being situated at the contact point of the mountain, continental and Mediterranean climate. The sleet is characteristic above all for the southwestern part of Slovenia, where also Brkini are situated. In the last 30 years, three intense sleet occurrences took place in the mentioned area: the most damage occurred in November 1980, somewhat less on the New Year 1996/97 and in February 2009. In 2010, the thickest sleet occurred on January 8 and 9 in Brkini (Forest Management Region Sežana) on the altitude above 600 m. The sleet also appeared in the Forest Management Region Postojna in the area under Mašun, in the Postojnska vrata surroundings and in higher situated locations of the Forest Management Region Brežice. Slovenija obsega majhno, a vremensko zelo raznoliko območje. Posledica stičišča gorskega, celinskega in primorskega podnebja je velika podnebna spremenljivost na majhnih razdaljah. V Sloveniji je žled značilen predvsem za njen jugozahodni del, kjer so tudi Brkini. V zadnjih 30-ih letih so bila na omenjenem območju tri intenzivnejša žledenja: največ škode je bilo novembra 1980, manj pa za novo leto 1996/97 in februarja 2009. Januarja 2010 se je najdebelejši žled pojavljal 8. in 9. dan v Brkinih (Gozdnogospodarsko območje Sežana) na nadmorski višini nad 600 m. Žled je nastajal tudi v Gozdnogospodarskem območju Postojna v območju pod Mašunom in v okolici Postojnskih vrat ter v višjih legah Gozdnogospodarskega območja Brežice.