For public

The processing of bark beetle (so-called random) logging is always our first priority. However, we can legally harvest a certain amount of timber each year (so-called intentional logging) without disturbing the forest ecosystem. This is fully in line with the current management plan approved by the state administration.

While the ratio of incidental to deliberate logging is normally around 20:80, in recent years, due to the bark beetle calamity, this ratio has been reversed. We are now back to normal.

And why do we harvest healthy trees by deliberate logging?

• Safety: To the layman, a seemingly healthy, green tree may already be showing signs of decay, and dying trees are very risky for forest visitors, road users, etc. We are able to identify deteriorating tree health and remove such trees as a precaution.
• Tending the forest: a healthy, green forest needs to be tended in its young and middle age, usually because of the large number of individuals in the area and the increasing demands of trees on resources (sun, water, nutrients). By cutting down poor quality, albeit healthy, trees, we significantly improve the future quality and stability of the forest.
• Mature forest regeneration: trees are felled at the optimum age. As the stand ages, the resistance of the trees to various damaging agents decreases and the quality of the timber is at risk of deterioration. We simply cannot produce quality timber from rotten timber. Another reason is to create space for the new generation of the forest to grow. We always cut down mature trees sparingly and individually or in small groups. Young trees take their place almost immediately, either by deliberate planting or by natural seed set.
• Meeting society’s requirements: wood is one of the few raw materials that comes from fully renewable energy sources and plays an indispensable role in our lives and industry – joinery, carpentry, construction, paper and chemical industries, etc.
• Source of income: timber is one of our main sources of income. These funds cover staff salaries and surpluses are reinvested back into the development of the forest estate – e.g. reforestation, maintenance of forest paths, decks, benches, wells, arboreta and much more. Visitors to the forests take this for granted, but the care of any property always costs a lot of money.
• Supporting the other (non-productive) functions of forests: Generally, we only take as much wood from a forest as grows in it, and forests can never be fully harvested in this way (unless, of course, a natural disaster strikes). By harvesting trees wisely, i.e. thinning the stands, we let more light, heat, water and improve airflow into the forests. All the other components of nature – fungi, plants, animals and indeed us humans – respond positively. Adequate light in forests is desirable for recreational use. It also prevents the development of harmful micro-organisms such as mould. Overall, the forest is brighter, healthier and we can breathe better.

The cleaning of forests from branches, which used to be done by our grandfathers and grandmothers and then used the branches for heating, is already a thing of the past and is actually not even desirable. It has been proven that leaves and branches are the richest in minerals and other nutrients, which is why we leave them in the forest to decompose. For us foresters, this is basically the only way to fertilise forest soils. We recognise that it is harder to walk in, but in 5-10 years there will be no sign of branches. The forest is changing all the time. It’s just at a slightly different pace than we humans.

Forest roads are built and intended primarily for the needs of the forest owner, i.e. mainly for forestry operations – transport of timber, forest tree seedlings, etc. Visitors to forests must respect this fact and take care of their safety. Logging activities are often carried out in larger units and normally once every 10 years. Logging in such a unit can take a month or more and during that period the roads are heavily used. We would be poor stewards if we repaired the road and then started up again immediately. We put the roads back to their original state only after the forestry activities in the area have ended.

Anyone can become a hunter who has completed a relevant professional forestry or agricultural education or passed an examination in hunting under the professional guarantee of hunting associations.

Hunting, i.e. the actual hunting of game, is an important and essential activity in our cultural landscape. Without the action of natural regulating mechanisms such as large carnivores (e.g. the common wolf, the lynx, etc.), game would multiply uncontrollably, spread disease and cause, for example, inadequate damage to forest and field crops. In the hunting grounds of UFE Křtiny, we manage hunting exclusively under our own direction, i.e. mainly through our professional forestry staff, students, university employees or other hunters from among the hunting public.

Our main goal is to strive to achieve and maintain a balanced state of the natural environment in all its forms. It is important for us to keep game numbers at levels that maintain a quality population without compromising the stability and diversity of our forests.

In our hunting management we always follow not only all the legislative rules, but also consistently observe hunting ethics and traditions.

Venison from wild game hunted in our hunting grounds is offered to all interested parties through the restaurant of our Chateau Křtiny or can be bought at cerstva-zverina.cz.

Are you interested in how we manage our forests and what is their (current) state and why is that so?

Don’t be afraid to ask us directly in the forest anything about the topic.

Contact: lumir.dobrovolny@slpkrtiny.cz, phone nr. 731 623 185