Project “Development of a management model for combating the pine processionary moth”

This project is funded by IADSA-Italian-Albanian Debt for Development Swap Agreement II in cooperation with SASPAC-State Agency for Strategic Program and Aid Coordination.
From monitoring the health status of forests and information received from municipalities, it results that every year an average of about 150 thousand hectares of forests are affected by pests and diseases. One of the most problematic pests is the pine processionary moth. Thaumetopoea pityocampa Den. & Schiff, which has been reported in our country since the 1960s. The pest has caused large damage, significantly slowing the annual growth of affected coniferous trees.
The main goal of the project is to combat this pest in the forests of Albania, by involve local communities and all interested stakeholders to restore forest ecosystems.
The main project activities include:
• Drafting operational protocols for processional control.
• Strengthening the central laboratory and set up 3 (three) regional laboratories in the municipalities of Elbasan, Bulqizë and Fushë Arrëz for insect reproduction Calosoma sycophanta, which feeds on the larvae of the pest.
• Training of forestry service staff in these municipalities.
• Application of combined methods (mechanical and biological) on a pilot area, with the aim of creating the necessary capacities for sustainable control.