Thousands of Šumava's spruces need anti-beetle treatment

Modrava, West Bohemia, July 10 (CTK) - Loggers have stripped the bark from all selected 1500 spruces in the Czech Sumava National Park's Na Ztracenem protected locality but further thousands of trees probably have to undergo the treatment as a step to prevent a beetle calamity, Pavel Pechousek said yesterday.

Pechousek, spokesman for the Sumava National Park (NPS), a mountainous area along the southwestern border with Austria and Bavaria, told CTK that of the 1500 originally selected trees, loggers have cut and peeled a total of 452 in small "islands" each containing maximally 15 spruces so that no large deforested areas emerge.

They stripped the bark from the remaining 1100 trees while leaving them standing.

However, a new generation of the beetle has flown out from the afflicted trees and hit further trees in the surroundings in the meantime.

Most of the beetles are yet expected to hatch and abandon their "mother" trees.

Only the days to come will show how many new trees the beetle has afflicted and whether they will have to be cut or peeled while standing.

"This can be calculated after the beetle expansion ends later this month. By all means, not hundreds but rather thousands of trees will be involved," Pechousek said.

The NPS management asserts that within a possible new wave of interventions in Na Ztracenem, most afflicted trees will be peeled while standing and only a small portion of them will be cut in small groups.

Last year, the tree cutting in Na Ztracenem was blocked by environmental activists who claimed that the protected area must be left to spontaneous development.

The NPS management, supported by local municipalities, then said the cutting is necessary to prevent an outbreak of a beetle calamity that would be fatal for the spruce forests.

This year, the activists have not staged a blockade for the time being. They dislike the tree cutting but admit that the method preventing the emergence of large unforested areas is more sensitive and environment-friendly.

In spite of this, the new tree cutting in Sumava has been strongly criticised by the European Commission.

The EC will take legal steps, if necessary, Joe Hennon, spokesman for EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik, told CTK in late June.

The EC has addressed its letter to Prague to find out whether developments in Sumava are in harmony with the EU legislation. After it obtains the information, it may take further steps such as launching the procedure over the EU law violation, which may bring the Czech Republic before the European Court of Justice.