Woodborers and wood-decay related beetle responses to a major forest disturbance event in the central and southern Sierra Nevada, California.

This article examines the responses of woodborer and wood-decay-related beetle communities to varying levels of tree mortality and snag (dead standing tree) retention following a severe drought and bark beetle epidemic in California’s Sierra Nevada forests from 2012 to 2015. Using ethanol-baited panel flight intercept traps deployed on plots categorized by low and high tree mortality and snag fall, the study found that beetle diversity generally increased with higher tree mortality and greater amounts of fallen snags, though clear, distinctive beetle assemblages among disturbance classes were not evident. Key beetle families influencing community differences included Elateridae, Dermestidae, Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Curculionidae, with species such as the invasive Xyleborinus saxesenii notably abundant. The study highlights the complexity of beetle community responses to forest disturbance and suggests that further research using varied sampling methods and temporal scales is needed to better understand these dynamics.