scholarly journals The Impacts of Calamity Logging on the Development of Spruce Wood Prices in Czech Forestry

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Toth ◽  
Mansoor Maitah ◽  
Kamil Maitah ◽  
Veronika Jarolínová

Currently, the decline in spruce wood prices is a serious problem for the forestry sector in the Czech Republic. We estimate that the fall in wood prices in European markets causes losses not only to the forestry companies producing, harvesting, and processing the wood, but also to the workers in the sector. These losses are mainly caused by a combination of several natural factors: drought, climate change, and the effects of bark beetles. In particular, spruce bark beetles cause the greatest damage. Due to this bark beetle calamity, unplanned logging has increased. In 2019, these damages have culminated. Almost 100 million m3 of wood has been harvested over the last decade due to the bark beetle and more than half of this volume has been mined in the last four years. Therefore, the losses in the forestry sector are around EUR 1.12 billion. The aim of this study is an analysis of the relationship between the volume of incidental logging and the decline in the price of spruce wood. These results show the strong correlation between the measure of unplanned wood harvesting and the decrease in wood prices, as well as an estimate of price development if the upward trend of incidental mining continues. The average price of wood in the Czech Republic could thus reach a historical minimum of EUR 79.39 per m3 of spruce and category SM/JE II (spruce/fir). In addition, the decline in wood prices will be reflected in the management of forestry and timber businesses, including stagnant wages for forestry workers. The socio-economic impact of the bark beetle calamity is high and is most affected by the decline in spruce timber prices.

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 240-245
Author(s):  
Karolina Lukášová ◽  
Soňa Zimová

Abstract This study focused on bionomics of the ash bark beetle Hylesinus fraxini (Panzer 1779). The study area was at Jílové u Prahy in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. In February 2014, three common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees were felled and Hylesinus fraxini infestation was subsequently observed from March. Beetles were collected from 20 debarked logs and dissected under stereomicroscope, and their sex was determined. Five logs with bark beetles were placed into photoeclectors. Beetles that emerged were collected and put into the second photoeclector with fresh ash wood to determine whether they would establish the second generation. The analysis showed that each gallery system with a pair of bark beetles contained one male with only one female. If one adult of H. fraxini was found in the gallery system, it was usually female. Therefore, possible polygamy of Hylesinus fraxini was not confirmed in Central Bohemia. Maternal gallery length significantly correlated with the number of eggs laid per female. Offspring beetles did not establish the second generation, as only maturation feeding occurred in fresh wood.


2011 ◽  
Vol 57 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 242-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Hlásny ◽  
L. Zajíčková ◽  
M. Turčáni ◽  
J. Holuša ◽  
Z. Sitková

Climate change is expected to influence the distribution and population dynamics of many insect pests, with potential severe impacts on forests. Spruce bark beetle Ips typographus (L.) (Col.: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) is the most important forest insect pest in Europe whose development is strictly regulated by air temperature. Therefore, climate change is anticipated to induce changes in the pest's distribution and development. We used the PHENIPS model to evaluate climate change impacts on the distribution and voltinism of spruce bark beetle in the Czech Republic. Two future time periods – 2025–2050 (near future) and 2075–2100 (distant future) – are addressed. The period 1961–1990 is used as the reference. We found that while a two-generation regime dominated in the Czech Republic in the reference period, significant three-generation regime regions are projected to appear in the near future. In the distant future, the three-generation regime can be expected to occur over all existing coniferous stands in the Czech Republic. The analysis of altitudinal shift of n-generation regime regions indicates noticeable expansion of Ips typographus development to higher elevations, leading for example to disappearance of one-generation regime regions in the distant future. Uncertainties and limitations of the presented findings are discussed as well.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13377
Author(s):  
Jonas Hnatek ◽  
Vaclav Stejskal ◽  
Tomas Vendl ◽  
Radek Aulicky ◽  
Jarmila Malkova ◽  
...  

Recently, the largest bark beetle calamity (Ips typographus) of the last 100 years has erupted in Central Europe, including the Czech Republic. This calamity may threaten the sustainability of growing large areas of monoculture Norway spruce (Picea abies) in this area. Limited economically feasible physical and chemical pest control options are available to prevent the bark beetle spread. However, from these options, only mechanical bark removal or gas-insecticide fumigation result in instant deactivation of all pest stages throughout the entire stack of stored logs. Due to the ban on the use of methyl bromide (MeBr) for the fumigation of log piles under tarpaulin, the adaptation of the phyto-quarantine method EDN to the destruction of I. typographus bark beetles in harvested wood directly in forests was newly proposed in the Czech Republic. The methodical experience with fumigation of the harvested logs, however, was only available for wood fumigation in chambers or in tent-tarps fumigation placed on paved (concrete/asphalt) surfaces mainly in ship harbors. Prior to the introduction of the new EDN fumigation method of bark beetle infested wood stored directly in the forests, it was initially unclear whether it was necessary to use or neglect bottom sheets to optimize exposure and maximize Ct products for the permitted fixed initial dose (50 g·m−3). Therefore, the initial validation pilot trials were aimed at the estimation and comparison of EDN temporal dynamics and Ct products under real forest conditions and two fumigation scenarios: Wooden log pile placed on bottom plastic sheets or directly on soil without the bottom sheets. Field trials were performed under both identical as well as different environmental conditions. In addition, they revealed that the concentration decrease was significantly faster and Ct products were significantly lower in the case of trials without the bottom sheets. The experiments indicated high EDN sorption by the uncovered soil under the tent. Quantitatively, the average Ct product was 4.8 (identical conditions) and 3.7 (different conditions) times lower in EDN trials without the bottom sheets when compared to the use of bottom sheets. The initial field-forest fumigation validation trials indicated a necessity to carry out EDN fumigation under tent-tarps also using bottom sheets, although this fumigation procedure increases the labor-demands to some extent. Based on the presented results and additional data, the Czech authority issued for the EDN plant protection product an authorization for the limited and controlled use of wooden logs. Therefore, this work became the basis of the historically and first officially authorized use of any fumigant for pest control under commercial forest conditions.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402110095
Author(s):  
Jakub Dostál

The economic value of volunteering is an increasingly important part of volunteering management. It has become part of public policies. Some requests for proposals (RFP) enable nonprofits to include the value of volunteer time in compulsory co-financing. These RFP include the European Economic Area (EEA) Grants and Norway Grants. This article addresses the relationship in the value of volunteering, also called in-kind volunteering contributions. The research includes two case studies of finances from EEA and Norway Grants in the Czech Republic: the Czech NGO Programme, responsible for allocating grants between 2009 and 2014, and the Active Citizens Fund, responsible for allocating grants between 2014 and 2021. They share elements through the EEA and Norway Grants rules. However, they use different types of specialist replacement wages. The article summarizes the arguments for including in-kind volunteering contributions. It presents the possible values of these contributions in the selected cases, including the relationship between the type of volunteering and the number of hours necessary to achieve these values. The article defines the theoretical basis for calculating the value of in-kind volunteer contributions and illustrates this with real examples of allocations from EEA and Norway Grants.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1290
Author(s):  
Branislav Hroššo ◽  
Pavel Mezei ◽  
Mária Potterf ◽  
Andrej Majdák ◽  
Miroslav Blaženec ◽  
...  

Research Highlights: Bark beetles are important agents of disturbance regimes in temperate forests, and specifically in a connected wind-bark beetle disturbance system. Large-scale windthrows trigger population growth of the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) from endemic to epidemic levels, thereby allowing the killing of Norway spruce trees over several consecutive years. Background and Objectives: There is a lack of evidence to differentiate how outbreaks are promoted by the effects of environmental variables versus beetle preferences of trees from endemic to outbreak. However, little is known about how individual downed-tree characteristics and local conditions such as tree orientation and solar radiation affect beetle colonization of downed trees. Materials and Methods: To answer this question, we investigated the infestation rates and determined tree death categories (uprooted, broken, and stump) in wind-damaged areas in Western Tatra Mts. in Carpathians (Slovakia) from 2014–2016, following a windthrow in May 2014. In total, we investigated 225 trees over eight transects. For every tree, we measured its morphological (tree height, crown characteristics), environmental (solar radiation, terrain conditions, trunk zenith), temporal (time since wind damage), and beetle infestation (presence, location of attack, bark desiccation) parameters. We applied Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMM) to unravel the main drivers of I. typographus infestations. Results: Over the first year, beetles preferred to attack broken trees and sun-exposed trunk sides over uprooted trees; the infestation on shaded sides started in the second year along with the infestation of uprooted trees with lower desiccation rates. We found that time since wind damage, stem length, and incident solar radiation increased the probability of beetle infestation, although both solar radiation and trunk zenith exhibited nonlinear variability. Our novel variable trunk zenith appeared to be an important predictor of bark beetle infestation probability. We conclude that trunk zenith as a simple measure defining the position of downed trees over the terrain can anticipate beetle infestation. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to understanding of the bark beetle’s preferences to colonize windthrown trees in the initial years after the primary wind damage. Further, our findings can help to identify trees that are most susceptible to beetle infestation and to prioritize management actions to control beetle population while maintaining biodiversity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 514-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Riedl ◽  
L. Šišák

A realistic perception of the condition of forests, and the attributes of the forestry sector, by the public constitutes one of the basic prerequisites for successful implementation of forest policy in any country. Although data objectively demonstrate that the condition of Czech forests has improved, opinion polls show a gap between the public perception of the condition of Czech forests and the real status of these forests. The reasons for the discrepancy between reality and the perception of the public, and between the results of different surveys, are analysed. The most significant differences were found in perceptions of damage and threats to forests. The effectiveness of communication about forest policy is discussed, and some ways to create more effective communication are examined.


1980 ◽  
Vol 112 (7) ◽  
pp. 725-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Goheen ◽  
F. W. Cobb

AbstractThe relationship between bark beetle infestation of ponderosa pine and severity of infection by Ceratocystis wageneri was investigated by closely monitoring 256 trees (136 apparently healthy, 60 moderately diseased, and 60 severely diseased at initiation of study) for beetle infestation from summer 1972 to fall 1975. Disease ratings were updated by periodic examination, and some trees changed disease category during the study. Ninety trees were infested by Dendroctonus brevicomis, D. ponderosae, or both, five by buprestids alone, and one tree died from effects of the pathogen alone. Sixty-two of the beetle-infested trees were severely diseased at time of infestation, 25 were moderately diseased, and only three were apparently healthy. Thus, the results showed that bark beetles were much more likely to infest infected than healthy trees. Among diseased trees, those with advanced infections were most likely to be infested. There was evidence that buprestids (especially Melanophila spp.) and possibly Ips spp. attacked diseased trees prior to Dendroctonus spp. infestation.


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