Forest condition report: Only every fifth tree is healthy

The German forest suffers greatly from the consequences of climate change. According to the forest condition report, spruce, pine, beech and oak are equally affected. Minister of Agriculture Özdemir wants to take countermeasures.

Tree crowns in which many branches have died and which have significantly fewer leaves: Forest damage is primarily measured by this so-called “crown thinning” – and this has also increased significantly in the past year. Only every fifth tree is completely healthy. At the same time, the number of completely dead trees has continued to increase – especially in specimens that are 60 years or older.

“Drought weakens the trees”

According to Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, the reasons for the forest dieback have not changed, but the consequences have worsened: “The drought is weakening the trees. They can no longer withstand the storm and the winter and are therefore susceptible to pest infestation.” Even the rainy months in autumn and winter last year did not ease the situation. “An additional negative influence on the trees’ heat tolerance is the continued high nitrogen inputs and partially acidic forest soils,” said the Green politician.

Özdemir warns that it is high time to take countermeasures. Wherever possible, forests should be left to their own devices in order to achieve a more natural state, avoid clear-cutting and avoid fertilizers and pesticides.

climate resilient trees

As an incentive, Özdemir’s ministry has launched a program for “climate-adapted forest management”, which comprises 900 million euros and will run until 2026 and is intended to help forest owners save their areas. According to Özdemir, it is also important that climate-resilient, native trees are planted in order to be able to counteract climate change more effectively.

However, it is unclear which species are particularly suitable for this: “When I talk to foresters and ask them which trees will prevail in thirty or forty years, they say: The pace of climate change is simply so dramatic that it is difficult to predict . It will most definitely not be monocultures. They are the most vulnerable to storms, to water shortages, to the climatic turbulence we are experiencing. In this respect, we now have to contribute to the monocultures becoming mixed forests.”

A long-term project whose success will probably only be measurable in decades. If the forest dieback is to be stopped and, if possible, reversed, action must be taken now, the minister concluded. This also applies to the fight against the worldwide destruction of forests. The federal government will therefore continue to work against the deforestation of South American rainforests and advocate an international economic system that protects forests.

Özdemir emphasizes an obligation that must also be observed with a view to future generations: “The forest needs us – but vice versa, we also need the forest. Let us all join forces to ensure that it benefits us, our grandchildren and theirs descendants is preserved.”