Assessment of forest owners` attitudes to measures taken with regard to bark beetle outbreak in the Czech Republic, 2017-2022

Bc. Heda Charvátová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

In this diploma thesis, I discuss the bark beetle calamity which happened from 2017 to 2022, its causes, handling by the state, and how forest stakeholders evaluated the governmental actions, specifically the General Measure of the Ministry of Agriculture from April 2, 2020 and Compensation for the decline in the price of wood. Data used for this thesis were taken from a questionnaire survey conducted in 2023/2024 within the project called Forecasts of Bark Beetle Calamity Development and Innovative Approaches to Its Management at the State and Forest Owners' Level and different media outlets reporting on the calamity. Amongst the objectives of the thesis is the creation of a timeline of the calamity and analyses of the stakeholders' response to different measures, which can all be found graphically processed in this work. Overall, the measures analyzed were responded to positively, except for the abolishment of the obligation for the forest owner to prioritize the processing of incidental felling, which was viewed negatively. Based on ownership, Natural persons were the most welcoming of the measures, and stakeholders from the state-owned forests were the least. Based on stakeholder positions, OLH were the most supportive of the measures, managers the least.

Keywords

Forest pest management, Silviculture, Forest politics, Crises management, Bark beetle calamity, Forest legislation

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 6. 4. 2025

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 2. 6. 2025
• Supervisor: prof. RNDr. Tomáš Hlásny, PhD.
• Reader: Jarmila Zimmermannová, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences

Master programme:
Forestry, Water and Landscape Management