It s do or die for Germany s forests
The health of German forests is in terminal decline. Global heating and poor management are at the roots of a countrywide die-off, an urgent issue being confronted by a national forest summit this week.
The forests are dying
German forests are dying in part due to drier and hotter summers, and heat-loving bark beetle plagues that have destroyed ubiquitous spruce trees. More trees died in Germany in 2020 than in any other previous year, including beech trees planted widely in the past decade for their climate resilience. This week s national forest summit titled Waldsterben 2.0 (Forest Dieback) asks what can be done.