The PROLES portal is a new information platform for anyone interested in Czech and global forests and forestry. It focuses on the latest findings regarding risks to forests — windstorms, pests, fires, and invasive species — and ways to address them. The PROLES portal (www.prolesy.org) offers maps, graphs, technical and popular science articles, recommendations for forestry practice and government administration, and translations of international strategic documents related to forests and forestry. It includes a map application providing comprehensive data on forest damage in the Czech Republic since 2000. The portal is the result of a collaboration between the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic.
Damage to European forests has been steadily increasing since the mid-20th century, and this increase has accelerated significantly over the past decade. We are observing more frequent and severe droughts and heat waves, pest infestations, and an increase in large-scale wildfires. The Czech Republic has become one of the epicenters of these developments. In response to these trends, the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague (FLD CZU) and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic (MZe CR) have established a strategic partnership aimed at improving the Czech forestry sector’s preparedness for these growing risks.
One of the main outcomes of this collaboration is the PROLES portal (https://www.prolesy.org/), which contains translations of various strategic materials from international initiatives such as Forest Europe and institutions such as the European Forest Institute — ranging from projections of forest development in the 21st century and impacts on the timber market to adaptation strategies.
The map application provides access to data on forest damage in the Czech Republic since 2000 at the district level, including projections of bark beetle damage trends and assessments of forest condition using remote sensing data. The portal is aimed at forest owners, state administration, students, and the general public. It is continuously updated, and new content and features are being added.
“Czech forests and the forestry sector face a combination of pressures for which they are unprepared. The goal of the PROLES portal is to provide access to the latest and rapidly evolving knowledge that will help prepare for these developments,” says Professor Tomáš Hlásny of FLD CZU, the portala’s coordinator.
“The collaboration between the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic is coordinated with the activities of the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the international FoRISK initiative, which focuses on improving risk management in European forests. Thanks to the FLD’s long-term involvement in these activities, the Czech Republic is among the countries whose experiences contribute to shaping European recommendations for adapting forests to climate change and other growing risks. The PROLES portal is one of the tools for applying the results of this collaboration to the Czech context,” says Professor Róbert Marušák, dean of the FLD CZU.