The ongoing bark beetle calamity has fully demonstrated the need for rapid reforestation of clearings after the harvesting of infected trees. The key factor influencing the success of reforestation (in the case of conifer reforestation), apart from drought and wildlife damage, is mainly the occurrence of the large pine weevil, Hylobius abietis. This weevil gnaws on seedling stems and the use of self-adhesive nanomaterial bandages is a suitable combination of mechanical and insecticidal protection. In addition, the insecticide is bound in the structure of the nanomaterial, so there is no risk of its release into the soil, a long-term effect is ensured while minimizing the amount of active substance, and after two to three years, spontaneous degradation occurs, so that the bandages do not need to be removed and ecologically disposed of. Compared to current methods of spraying or dipping seedlings in insecticide, the proposed solution is more environmentally friendly and the dose of insecticides can be an order of magnitude lower with a significant increase in efficacy. We expect to provide protection from gnawing until the diameter of the cumin exceeds 1 cm and it ceases to be attractive to large pine weevil. Since the need for repeated spraying (several times per growing season) is eliminated, the proposed solution also represents considerable economic savings and a reduction in the workload of forestry personnel who can be redeployed to other activities. At the same time, the solution will also allow for lower demands on staff qualifications and the need to use protective equipment. Each year, the area damaged by the large pine weevil reaches more than 10,000 ha in the Czech Republic alone. The competing solution of mechanical protection alone is economically challenging.
