Vimperk - The question of how to fight the bark beetle in the Šumava National Park has truly become transnational and is going to be discussed in Brussels.

While all sides involved agree that the bark beetle, a voracious parasite, is a huge threat to the forest, proposals how to tackle the little beast differ enormously.

While the Czech side is an advocate of a moderate approach, that is not to remove the infested trees, the German and Austrian sides want to take action and cut down all the attacked trees.

The bark beetle has been plaguing Šumava for over a decade now.

International issue

The bark beetle knows no borders, spreading equally in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Now the problem itself has also crossed the border of the Czech Republic and reached Brussels where Duha, a Czech environmental NGO, filed a complaint with the European Commission against Austrian and German private owners.

They massively cut down pine trees affected by the bug. But the large deforested area disbalances the natural protection of the Czech old forest, thus destroying it. The German and Austrian trees used to protect the Czech side, for example, from strong winds. 

Duha claims the trees could be cut down only in less important areas, not in the protected landscape zone.

"After seven years of negotiations, we appealed to the European Commision and asked them for help," Duha´s Jaromír Bláha said, adding that it is high time Brussels acts. 

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Hawks and doves

Austrian and German foresters do not like the "inactive" approach, calling it too benevolent. They prefer to fell all the trees that have been infested by the bark beetle.

Bavarian Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Josef Miller and his Austrian counterpart Josef Pröll sent their complaints to Bursík. Pröll informed the minister that Czech approach cost the private owners EUR 620,000 only in the last 18 months.

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German and Austrian authorities found their ally in Commissioner of the South Bohemia region Jan Zahradník who recently warned that the Bohemian Forest has been irreversibly damaged. 

"The outbreak of the bark beetle is alarming," said Zahradník who criticizes Bursík and representatives of the Šumava protected area for having extended the so-called "no interference zones" where the nature is supposed to regenerate on its own.

But the Environment Ministry is firmly convinced that the infested trees should not be removed.

"If you walk in the forest, you will see thousands of young trees that have emerged among the decomposing trees. There are blooming flowers, butterfiles and insect and birds," explained Minister Bursík.

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