It pays to think out of the box. Tyler Cobb, a forestry graduate from the University of Alberta ventured into the forest one day with a pair of tweezers, a fistful of beetle droppings and a hypothesis. This forestry graduate discovered that beetle droppings are an indispensable part in replenishing soil nutrients to help plants regenerate after being ravaged by fire. Cobbs studied the fire affected areas of a forest in northern Alberta that occurred in 2001. He scrutinized fire-loving beetles that were living in the burned and decaying trees under binocular zoom stereomicroscopes. He found that the beetle dung are an essential part of the soil as it rejuvenate after the fire.

Cobb painstakingly collected beetle dung from about 50-60 beetles over the two years that he earned his PhD at the University of Alberta Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics. He managed to pry about 10 grams of beetle dung using binocular zoom stereomicroscopes and tweezers. He then analyzed its contents and conducted experiments to see what effect they had on soil. In scientific jargon, beetle dung is known as frass. They are known to be very important in the recovery of forests that have been devastated by fire. Using binocular zoom stereomicroscopes, these droppings are seen as piles at the bases of trees. They look like little mounds of sawdust and help nourish the forest soil by increasing the microbial activities. This long process also helps determine what kind of trees will grow back.

So the beetles are no longer considered pests in the forests, but rather an integral part of the recovery process of burned forests. Although illegal logging gives some cause for concern. Cobbs states that the trees are being cut, taking the beetles away from the forest before they can effectively do their jobs. The logs, which house the eggs and larvae of the dung beetle, are taken to sawmills to be processed, destroying the beetles and their offspring. Therefore, nutrients are not returned to the soil and the soil is not rejuvenated with the nutrients that they sorely need.

Cobbs say that salvage logging can be delayed after a forest fire. It is possible to delay this up to 2 years, allowing the beetles to do their job. If this is not possible, then some burned timber can be retained in the forest for the fire beetles to live on. Cobbs studied the frass of only one beetle species, but he says that beetles that are associated with dead wood are found all over the world. Without their help, forests that are ravaged from fire will be worse off. Their contributions are essential, so forest management activities should aim to conserve and preserve beetle species because the widespread destruction of them could have a significant ecological impact. The beetles are dedicated to the decomposition process, and this makes them critical to the general health of the forest, and not only in forests ravaged by fire. Who knew beetle dung could be so useful?. Original article