ZLV Online

Abstract

There is an increase in damage caused by biotic agents in the forests of Central Europe. One of the choices for protecting forests against insect pests is the ability to use the biological protection of the birds of family Picidae. They are able to effectively control pests and indirectly promote the occurrence of another beneficial animal species. We dealt with three species with different habitat requirements: three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus), the black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) and the great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major). In general, they can halve the amount of the pest population. The three-toed woodpecker feeds mainly on bark beetles and longhorn beetles. It needs a large amount of dead wood, which almost excludes its presence in production forests. Other species do not have so many environmental demands. The black woodpecker is tied to larger forest complexes, including production forests. The great spotted woodpecker is able to colonise even small fragments of forests. Economic loss caused by nest holes excavating and hunting of wood boring insect are negligible. Holes have a small volume and are mostly created in already damaged wood. The presence of woodpeckers in production forests is desirable, and it should be encouraged by keeping enough amount of dead and cavity trees.