Adverse weather conditions could benefit forests by harming bark beetles.

Destructive bark beetles have impacted vast woodlands in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) over recent years. Fortunately, the rainy weather may signal a reprieve, as these insects tend to avoid damp environments.

, and Carmen Simpson

2024 June 4 . 9:55 AM

1 min read

A bark beetle crawls over the underside of a spruce bark on a slope near Hagen.

The natural world or The great outdoors or The environment - Adverse weather conditions could benefit forests by harming bark beetles.

Heavy rains over the past few weeks have pushed back the start of the beetle season for the pine processionary moth, providing some relief to forest owners. Friedrich Louen from Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRW explained, "Pine processionary moths thrive in stable, warm environments. The wetter it is, the more challenging it becomes for them." With the ground being so damp, spruces are now better equipped to fight off the pest compared to previous years.

Although optimistic, it's too soon to be carefree, as we must monitor the weather patterns to ensure there's no rain during summer, and no passing storms which could hinder our efforts in sorting out affected trees.

Since 2018, 143,000 hectares of forest have been affected by the interplay of pine processionary moths, storms, and drought - of which, around 40% of the spruces remain standing.