From Our Blog: Recently with the ICCF Group

In 2022, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, in collaboration with the National Forest Agency (the Government's Implementing Agency) and with support from Rio Tinto Mongolia, launched the "Healthy Forest" project to preserve and protect Mongolia's forest reserves. This initiative, in partnership with the ICCF Group and its International Conservation Corps program, aims to integrate international technologies and expertise in forest protection, enhance the skills of local experts, and nurture a new generation of professionals in forest health. The project complements the Billion Tree National Movement by emphasizing the critical need to maintain and safeguard forest health—essential for stabilizing forest resources, which is as crucial as planting new trees.

As part of this project, International Conservation Corps and forest health experts from the U.S. and Canada visited Mongolia from April 30 to May 8, 2024. During their mission, they met with local partners to discuss pest control operations and management strategies. The visit facilitated collaboration and knowledge exchange, with ICCF experts offering key recommendations to Mongolian partners and stakeholders.

Key Recommendations by the Forest Health Team

Healthy forests are resistant to pests and resilient in the face of challenges. Resistance is the result of species diversity, while resilience ensures a forest's ability to recover quickly. Unfortunately, Mongolia's forests, due to their limited diversity, are highly vulnerable to pests, indicating poor forest health. To avoid widespread pest outbreaks and protect forests in the long term, minimizing pest impacts is critical.

The ICCF forest health experts assessed the pest control program of the Healthy Forest Project, initiated under an agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the National Forest Agency, and Rio Tinto Mongolia.

The team provided five key recommendations:

1. Establish a Permanent Monitoring Network
• Forest pest management requires annual data on pest population sizes and distribution, which can be obtained through a permanent monitoring network across Mongolia’s forests.
• Monitoring should be an annual activity, with a consistent budget to ensure regular assessments of forest health.
• Monitoring networks from other countries (e.g., the U.S. and Canada) could serve as models for Mongolia.
• Funding should be allocated for research into innovative monitoring techniques.
2. Data-Driven Pest Management Decisions
• Decisions to treat pest populations should be based on population size, projected trends, and the potential for unacceptable damage.
• Research funding is needed to develop forecasting models for pest population densities and their impacts, which will aid in decision-making for effective control measures.
• These forecasting models should be integrated into the monitoring programs established in Recommendation #1.
3. Use Biological Insecticides Effectively
• Biological insecticides, particularly Bacillus thuringiensis (Btk), are the preferred method for controlling pests in Mongolian forests.
• The National Forest Agency (NFA) should specify the requirements for the appropriate strain of Btk to be used in Mongolia.
• All aspects of insecticide application should be thoroughly evaluated, with any deficiencies addressed the following year.
• To avoid reliance on a single aircraft for application, the NFA should secure additional aircraft to ensure continuity.
4. Improve Treatment Efficacy Assessment
• Current success metrics, based on the number of green trees remaining post-treatment, are inadequate.
• Efficacy should instead be assessed through direct sampling of the treated insect population.
• Treatment failures should be reported openly, without fear of penalties.
5. Strengthen Capacity for Forest Health Management
• The Healthy Forest Project has made notable contributions, such as providing scholarships to four students and introducing the Earthranger program. Additionally, the NFA has increased its focus on forest health.
• However, to build a sustainable forest health program, more trained personnel are needed.
• Funding should be provided through scholarships, either by the NFA or private sources, to support the training of forest health specialists at foreign universities with the appropriate curricula.
• The forest health curriculum developed and taught at the University of Mongolia requires a permanent faculty member to continue its instruction.
• Mongolian universities should offer credit transfers for students who attend relevant courses at other universities in the country, ensuring they meet the academic requirements for their field of study.