Šumava ecosystems show resilience through natural disturbances and wolf presence

Scientific research in the Šumava and Bavarian Forest regions has provided new insights into forest evolution and ecosystem dynamics. By analyzing over 7,600 tree-ring series, researchers from the Research Institute of Landscape (VÚK) and an international team reconstructed 400 years of forest development. The study, published in the Journal of Ecology, reveals that natural disturbances such as storms and bark beetle infestations have historically shaped the forest mosaic, particularly in lower-altitude mixed forests.

Simultaneously, monitoring in the Czech and German parts of Šumava shows a growing wolf population. Data from GPS-collared wolves and scat analysis indicate that wolves are playing a key role in natural ecosystem regulation. Their diet primarily consists of ungulates like deer and roe deer, with an increasing share of beaver. This natural predation helps manage deer populations, potentially reducing the need for intensive human hunting to prevent overgrazing and forest damage.