Threats
The species is principally threatened by loss and fragmentation of beech and oak forests down to logging and deforestation. In line with available statistics data and publications, 91% of the total forest covered area in North Macedonia is managed, and most of it (93%) is regarded as productive forest whereas the remaining area is also managed only with a restriction in regard to the logging system (Trajkov et al. 2016, Kolevska et al. 2017). In practice, the silvicultural system has clear-cutting in and oak forest, and at places of beech forests too; as a result bare lands and even-aged forests are created while old growth forests are in decline (Trajkov et al. 2016, pers. obs.). Annually ca. 1% of forests are logged (Kolevska et al. 2017, State Statistics Office 2018), and illegal logging is considerably high, with additional 30% to legal wood extraction. Therefore, the quality of the appropriate habitat is in continuous decline, posing a major threat to maintenance of a stable population.
Decline in health of forest stands, due to diseases on Fagus sylvatica and Quercus spp. with varying degrees of intensity, have been reported (DPRS 2019). Diseases of oak stands are primarily caused by Euproctis chrysorrhoe L., Lymantria dispar L. and species of the family Tortricidae, while on beech trees by Rhynchaenus fagi L. (DPRS 2019).
Another threat is the destruction of fruit bodies while foraging edible species.