German Forests Deteriorated at Record Levels in 2020

According to Germany’s Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner, the condition of German forests has deteriorated to record levels due to a combination of fire, drought, windstorms, and a bark beetle infestation. More trees died in 2020 than ever before and only 21% of trees under observation had an intact canopy, an indication of how healthy a tree is, an annual survey on forests found. That was the lowest value since assessment began in 1984. Germans are concerned about the state of forests, which cover 11.4 million hectares, a third of the country’s area. The study, which examines the condition of 10,000 trees each year, showed that a record 1.7 percent of the trees under observation died between 2019 and 2020, almost 10 times the average. Particularly hard hit were spruce trees, about 4.3% of which died. The study cited an infestation of bark beetles as the main cause. This was made worse due to a dry summer which enabled the beetles to get deep into barks. Deciduous beech trees were also hit by canopy thinning, meaning trees were missing much of their normal leaf mass, a trend that has been clear over the last decade. “Crown condition is like a medical thermometer, it shows how the trees are doing. The survey shows: our forests are sick,” said Kloeckner.