In Czech Republic, During the reign of Maria Theresa, the forests covered only half as much land as they do today. They were cut down for pastures, mining, and extraction. The desperate lack of wood led to the issuance of the first Forest Decree wherein it was decided that timber output must equal to newly re-planted trees. To ensure a sufficient quantity of fast-growing and high-quality trees, spruce trees were planted. But monoculture forests have proven to be a very weak ecosystem: the trees, lacking the support of the immense complexity of a pristine forest, where thousands of different species of plants, animals, insects, bacteria, and fungi cooperate in a constant refinement of delicate balances, are weakened due to climate changes that have brought unprecedented droughts, higher temperatures, and less rain. The trees thus become easy food and home for the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus).

For centuries bark beetles and spruce fought against each other, the tree first being attacked by the so-called pioneer males, which eats into the bark. At this moment a strong tree can naturally defend itself by covering the beetle with resin which is toxic. However, if the male reaches into the trees’ phloem (living tissue through which the tree transports nutrients) he then attracts females, and the attack becomes more intensive. Such attacks could contain up to 400 individuals and the chances of the tree to resist decrease exponentially. The destruction of the tree continues with the larvae laid by females that eats more of the tree phloem until the tree collapses. In addition, bark beetle brings special fungi which clogs the conductive fibres of the tree. The bark beetle calamity is spreading through the extensive spruce forests planted in the centuries in the whole of Central Europe. Since 2015, more than 100 million cubic metres of spruce forest had to be extracted. Even though the calamity seems now to be retreating due to wetter seasons, it is believed that by 2030, this infestation will resume. While Czech scientists together with international teams of experts are making breakthrough discoveries in the mapping of the beetle genome that might support the production of an accurate antidote, foresters also face important and essential decisions. New forests must be resilient, stable, economically profitable and provide stability even in 150-200 years from now.

The forest of the future should flexibly react to the adverse effects of local climate. A mix of woody species is essential to secure that future generations will benefit of all the advantages of healthy and stable forestry as we could up until now.