Sonneberg is fighting against massive forest damage: What now for our trees?

Sonneberg is fighting against massive forest damage: What now for our trees?

In the southeast of Thuringia, especially in the Sonneberg district, the forests are not looking good at all. The region is one of the three most damaged areas in Germany when it comes to forest damage. The situation is particularly bad for the local flora, which is heavily burdened by long-term forest management traditions, geographical conditions and climatic influences. These factors mean that the neighboring regions of Thuringia and Bavaria are also severely affected insuedthueringen.de reported.

The numbers are alarming: There are around 86,500 hectares of forest damage in Thuringia, which corresponds to around 15 percent of the total area of ​​around 550,000 hectares in the Free State. The main causes of these dwindling areas are drought and the dreaded bark beetle. Since the summer of 2019, the widespread damage has even been recorded by satellite from a height of almost 800 kilometers. The European Copernicus Earth observation program has a hand in this, with geodata provided free of charge by the European Space Agency (ESA). The necessary evaluations are then created in the Gotha Forestry Research and Competence Center n-tv reported.

The dimension of the damage

The development of the damaged areas is worrying both in terms of years and area. While around 4,100 hectares were recorded in 2019, the damaged area jumped to almost 20,000 hectares in the following year. Very few would have expected around 61,000 hectares in 2022. A look at the latest evaluations shows that this record is updated every six months and the annual costs of around 30,000 euros are covered by the state government's special program “Reforestation and Forest Conversion”.

Another reason for the current forest misery is the extreme weather conditions of the last few years. Storms, extreme drought and a massive bark beetle infestation have severely damaged the German forest. Strong storms in 2017, 2018 and 2022, coupled with prolonged dry periods, are causing enormous damage to the stability of the forest ecosystem. This simplifies the mass reproduction of bark beetle species and makes the survival of the trees extremely difficult. bmleh.de addresses the current challenges and shows that spruce forests are particularly affected.

The consequences for the environment

The health consequences for deciduous forests are also alarming. The drought not only puts strain on spruce trees, but also favors secondary pests on beech and oak trees. To counteract this, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMLEH) sought cooperation with federal states and associations to support those responsible for the forests. With more than 500,000 hectares of forest area in Germany that urgently need to be reforested, an adapted choice of tree species is crucial for the long-term stability of the forests.

The state of forests is a serious issue for many, as forests are of great importance not only for climate protection, but also for biodiversity and wood supplies. Surveys currently show that 36 percent of trees suffer from significant crown thinning and only 21 percent are considered healthy. It is clear that without adapted wood management and diverse plant choices, the challenge of adapting forests to climate change will become even greater.