Have you come across strange "marks" in the forests? Photo: Maxim Dryukov, Krasnoyarsk Krai Fire Center
If you pay close attention to the trunks of trees while walking in the forest, they can tell you a lot. In the forests near Minusinsk, you often see strokes of blue or red paint on the trees – markings for ski and hiking trails. Occasionally, there are old V-shaped cuts on the pines left by resin collectors.
However, there are also quite unusual "marks." Maxim Dryukov, the deputy head of the Minusinsk forest fire station, stumbled upon "writings" that resemble "messages" from ancient people. If you "turn on" your imagination, you might "see" familiar letters and figures of people. Who left them and why?
Photo: Maxim Dryukov, Krasnoyarsk Krai Fire Center
Many, having encountered such messages in childhood, like the author of this article, attempted to "read" them. They thought it was a "message" from those who passed before or a "diary" of a lost traveler in the style of Robinson Crusoe. Others were convinced that these were notches or markings on a hunter's trail. A third group believed that vandals were damaging the trees, as the "signs" were usually found on dying conifers.
It turns out that all of this is incorrect! Maxim Dryukov has clarified the situation. He knows for certain that the "birds," "little people," and "circles" (or "letter o") captured in the photographs of the trunk have nothing to do with humans.
- "The tick mark" on the trunk of the pine indicates that the particular tree has fallen victim to the small pine bark beetle. This tiny brown beetle, 4 mm long, is one of the most dangerous insect pests," the specialist revealed the secret of the forest "messages."
Photo: Maxim Dryukov, Krasnoyarsk Krai Fire Center
If you don’t believe that a dangerous insect can create such whimsical patterns, the expert explained that the presence of the pest is evident by the fallen shoots with gnawed cores near the dead tree. Another sign of its presence is the so-called "bore dust" on the bark – fine shavings left after the insects create tunnels inside the wood.
Younger beetles are particularly "gluttonous": they don’t care which tree they infest. Such "residents" can shorten the lifespan of any tree. Yes, pines have a "defensive mechanism" to withstand the onslaught of bark beetles. Their entry channels are filled with resin. However, a tree cannot "defend" itself for long against a colony of pests. Eventually, it succumbs.
Have you come across strange "marks" in the forests? Photo: Maxim Dryukov, Krasnoyarsk Krai Fire Center
The forests are aided by "forest doctors" – woodpeckers. With their long tongues, they extract bark beetles from their tunnels and deal with them. Human assistance is limited to preventing conditions that favor pests and clearing the favorite spots of the beetles – fresh burns, windfalls, and storm-felled trees.