Vysočina Braces for Major Losses Among Young Forest Plantings Amid Drought

Foresters in the Vysočina Region are bracing for higher-than-usual losses among recently planted trees as a prolonged summer drought takes its toll. In recent years, the region has had to restore vast areas of forest following a massive bark beetle infestation, and according to the Czech Statistical Office, Vysočina led all Czech regions in reforestation volume from 2020 through last year.

The Pelhřimov Municipal Forest Administration manages more than 2,000 hectares of woodland. Its director, Martin Kodeš, says it's still too early to draw final conclusions about the drought's impact. "In forestry, we work on a long-term horizon, so the consequences may only show up later. But there are already some worrying signs," he noted. Losses among this year's fresh plantings are expected to be above average. Kodeš is hoping for rain that would allow autumn planting to continue — in past years, it was often hard to source saplings of certain species, such as oak, in spring.

Nurseries and Mature Trees Drying Out Too

Petr Ontolčík, director of the Jihlava Municipal Forest Administration, which oversees nearly 3,800 hectares of forest, is also preparing for more serious losses among this year's plantings. "We started very early, right around the turn of March and April, so we managed to catch a bit of spring moisture," he said. Even so, some mature trees are already shedding their leaves prematurely. Fresh seedlings in forest nurseries — which lack irrigation — have also suffered from the drought, though Ontolčík notes that, fortunately, such unwatered areas make up only a small share of their operations.

Record Logging After the Bark Beetle Outbreak

Timber harvesting in Vysočina surged after 2017 due to a massive bark beetle infestation of spruce forests, with the region topping the national rankings for five years running. The peak came in 2020, when 8.71 million cubic meters of timber were harvested. Last year, logging volume in the region fell to 1.159 million cubic meters — almost a quarter less than the year before.

Reforestation efforts in Vysočina peaked in 2021 and 2022, when more than 9,000 hectares of forest were replanted annually. Last year, only 4,657 hectares were restored — nearly half as much.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ekolist.cz