Susceptibility of fire-damaged pine trees (Pinus pinaster and Pinus nigra)to attacks by Ips sexdentatus and Tomicus piniperda (Coleoptera : Scolytidae)

During 1997 and the spring of 1998, a study to observe the colonization of burnt pine forests by bark beetles in the Castilla y Leon region was carrie d out. Ferreras de Abajo is a reforested area of 640 ha of Pinus pinaster A it. burnt in VI 1996 and located in the province of Zamora. The second loca lity: Rioseco de Tapia belongs to the province of Leon, with 234 ha of Pinu s nigra Am. burnt in V, 1996. In each locality a sampling area of 900 m(2) was chosen and two kind of trees were marked: 12 'red' trees, entirely burn t and 12 'yellow' trees, partly burnt. The main objective of this study was to find out the species of bark beetles that colonize burnt pine trees two consecutive years after a wild fire, the sequence and distribution of atta cks, attack density, and the life cycles of the two most representative spe cies.