Timber, forest, bark beetle: Between invasion and transition

EASST2026, ‘More Than Now: Exploring Resilient Futures’, European Association for the Study of Science and Technology, AGH University of Kraków, 08–11 September 2026

This workshop, conducted in collaboration with the ecologist Dimitris Bormpoudakis within the panel 'Meeting Invasions Halfway: Reimagining Futures with Invasive Species Through STS', examined the agency of the spruce bark beetle in timber material flow. Although these insects play an important role in decomposing wood within diverse forest ecosystems, in the context of commercial monoculture forests, they have gained the status of invasive. The combination of single-species stands of trees, climate-change, and storms has enabled the rapid spread of these beetles, leading to the loss of approximately half a million hectares of spruce forest in Germany between 2018 and 2021.

Drawing on ongoing ethnography of the German forest region of Sauerland, I invited participants to examine how beetle outbreaks are framed as commercial disasters yet also drive the transition toward more resilient mixed forests of the future. A brief presentation of the case study was followed by a group concept mapping activity, in which participants discussed aspects of the case study through the lens of their respective disciplinary backgrounds.

More information
https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/easst2026/paper/100329