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Red turpentine beetle (RTB), Dendroctonus valens LeConte, is a destructive forest invasive species in China, it mainly attacks Pinus tabuliformis and P. bungeana. So far it has spread rapidly to the provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi and Beijing since its first outbreak in Shanxi Province in 1998, and has caused extensive tree mortality. Space-time dynamics of D. valens population and spatial sampling technique based on its spatial distribution pattern were analyzed using geostatistical methods in the pure P. tabuliformis forests and mixedwood stands which were at different damage levels. According to the spatial distribution of D. valens population, the specific spatial sampling technique was also studied, and then was compared with traditional sampling technique. The spatial sampling technique combined with sampling theory and the biological characteristics of D. valens population, which not only could calculate the error of the sampling, but also could discuss the optimal sampling number and the optimum size of plot according to different damage levels and different stand types. This helps to explain population expansion and colonization mechanism of D. valens, and to provide a good reference for adopting suitable control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]