Half of all Czech spruce trees at risk of beetle infestation this year

This year, up to half of the Czech Republic’s spruce tree population could be infested by bark beetles if the current crisis scenarios end up happening, Environment Minister Richard Brabec said at a meeting of Central Bohemian mayors on Tuesday. The spruce is the country’s most common tree, making up more than half of all woodland in the country. According to Mr. Brabec, 500,000 hectares of forest are now at risk.

The bark beetle has become a serious problem for Czech woodland in recent years, because of the increasingly hotter, dryer climate. Spruce trees are most at risk from bark beetles and the fact that they tend to be planted in large woodland monocultures makes the problem worse, experts say.