One park, two owners-Inconsistencies in forest stewardship

0569666 - ÚVGZ 2023 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Křenová, Zdeňka - Janík, T. - Romportl, D.
One park, two owners-Inconsistencies in forest stewardship.
Conservation Science and Practice. Roč. 4, č. 12 (2022), č. článku e12834. E-ISSN 2578-4854
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LM2018123
Institutional support: RVO:86652079
Keywords : bark beetle * clear-cut * forest ecosystem management * national park conservation policy * national park stewardship * Natura 2000
OECD category: 1.7 Other natural sciences
Impact factor: 3.1, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.1283

Appropriate management of European spruce forests in this time of climate change is a significant challenge. Uniform principles of quality forest practice must be applied, essentially in forests that are valuable from a conservation point of view. However, this may be problematic in protected areas with mixed ownership and disparate priorities. Managerial decision-making is often based on personal knowledge, previous experience, priorities other than conservation, or political influence. Clear management guidelines at the European and national levels are lacking in many protected areas. In this article, we use data from the Sumava NP to elucidate varied management approaches applied by state and private municipal owners in forests of high conservation value. We used high-resolution aerial photographs to evaluate the effects of forest management practices applied, and compared the status of spruce habitats before and after a major windstorm and large-scale bark beetle outbreak. We found that follow-up forest management measures have significantly affected forests in the Sumava NP negatively. However, changes are not equally spread across the area of study, with forest ownership important for the type and intensity of changes. Kasperske Hory Municipality, managed their forests more as a productive commercial forest as contrasted to the state owned forest. We compare our findings with experiences from other Central European national parks with similar forest management challenges. Options for improving and unifying the management of conservation-valuable forests held in state and private ownership are discussed in the conclusion. Wide political consensus and stability together with long-term mutual trust and a willingness to collaborate among conservationists, forest managers and forest owners were recognized to be essential for the successful achievement of conservation goals.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0341040