Work

Potential exposure risk of global timber production, carbon stocking, and biodiversity to forest pests

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Pests pose escalating threats to forest ecosystem services globally, yet the patterns of forest vulnerability to these threats remain unclear. Leveraging over 7 million occurrence records of 1875 pest species, we identify northwestern Europe and eastern North America as global epicenters of forest-pest richness, dominated by insect fauna. Potential risk zones where timber production, carbon-rich forests, or diverse tree communities are exposed to high pest richness within and outside host native ranges cover 3.5% and 1.6% of forest globally, respectively. Forests in regions with stable temperatures, adequate precipitation, and high timber import volumes support high ecosystem services but also favor elevated pest richness, while forest fragmentation amplifies vulnerability to pests. Our findings provide a spatial blueprint for global pest management and underscore the urgent need for protecting forest health.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-78728-x

Authors: Yuxin Qiao, Jianquan Liu, David P. Edwards

Institution: University of Cambridge

Language: English

Topic: Forest Insect Ecology and Management

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $6,990