Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria

The event that had a lasting impact on the landscape of the Puszcza Notecka Forest is the mass appearance of the pine beauty, which began in 1922.The event that had a lasting impact on the landscape of the Puszcza Notecka Forest is the mass appearance of the pine beauty, which began in 1922.Over three years, about 220 thousand ha of pine stands in the territory of the Republic of Poland were destroyed (the Puszcza Notecka Forest has 75 thousand ha, over 81% of the stands were destroyed completely). This defeat changed the landscape of the forest for many decades, the consequences of which we can see and suffer until today. The dramatic fight between the foresters and the insects took place in every piece of the forest. In the state forest districts in the territory of Poland, located within the present borders of the Puszcza Notecka Forest, over 3.5 million m3 of wood was cut. Thousand of forestry workers were involved in the activities related to the fight against the pine beauty. The mass appearance of the mentioned insect also required the development of navigation, road and rail networks. The events, although tragic in their consequences for the natural shape of the Puszcza Notecka Forest, constituted a specific potential for the economic development of the region. Due to the development of river and road infrastructure, as well as the increase in employment, powered by the disaster, the local community perceived the events of that time as hope for an improvement in their financial situation.The most important goal of forestry at that time, in which the outbreak of gradation took place, was the renewal of forests. Thus, it was possible to prevent the desertification of the forest. By compiling memories, statistical and archival data, and photos from the years 1922–1939, an extraordinary and forgotten history of the Puszcza Notecka Forest emerges.