Forest Decline In Germany Hits New Record; Observed Dieoff 10X Normal Rate For All Species
Forests in Germany "are sick" and deteriorated at record levels in 2020, the agriculture minister said, commenting on an annual forest report released on Wednesday. Forests in Germany cover around a third of the country's entire area, at 11.4 million hectares (44,000 square miles).
Key report findings:
More trees died in Germany in 2020 than in any other previous year. Just 21% of trees under observation had an intact canopy — an indication of how healthy a tree is. A record 1.7% of the trees under observation died between 2019 and 2020 — almost 10 times the average. Spruce trees were especially hard hit: 4.3% of these trees under observation died. Deciduous trees were hit by canopy thinning, meaning trees were missing much of their normal leaf mass.
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The report, which examines the condition of 10,000 trees each year since 1984, found that there were multiple factors causing Germany's forest decline.
A bark beetle infestation was the main cause for spruce tree deaths in the country. This was made worse due to a dry summer that enabled the beetles to get deep into barks. The report also blamed storms, drought and forest fires in the past three years for massively damaging German forests.
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https://www.dw.com/en/german-forest-decline-hits-record-levels/a-56680590
