The Issue of Spruce Monocultures in Connection with Occurrence of Bark Beetles in the National Park Šumava with Application into Education

The diploma thesis deals with the issues of the spruce monocultures in the relation to the incidence of the bark beetle (Ips typographus) in the Šumava National park. The aim of the thesis is not only to unify and arrange the information, but also find out the level of knowledge about this topic among the pupils of the ninth grade of the basic school. The work also shows the level of knowledge of the pupils about the related problems and what are their opinions and suggested solutions. The thesis is divided into the theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part consists of eight chapters, that are devoted to the history of the Šumava forests, pine tree monocultures with the closer focus on the Norway spruce (Picea abies), the differences among the "natural" and "economical" forest and to the uniqueness of the Boubín primeval forest. In one of the chapters we get information about the huriccane Kyrill and its effects on the Šumava forests and followed by the information about the bark beetle calamities and about the bark beetle on its own. The last two chapters are devoted the solution of the current situation in the Šumava forests and their future perspectives. The practical part of the thesis contains mainly of the questionnaire survey proceeded among the pupils of the ninth grade of the..