Government approves funding for forestry owners hit by bark beetle

The Czech government has approved CZK 2.5 billion for the non-state owners of forestry affected by a major bark beetle infestation in recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The money is intended to compensate for the lower price of wood caused by the bark beetle crisis and will be available this and next year.

The minister of agriculture, Miroslav Toman, said the price of coniferous wood had fallen sharply in the last two years. For this reason forestry owners do not currently possess funding for renewal and cultivation. The funding is not intended to fund the felling of damaged trees, he said.