Forestry Minister - Forest takes a breather but beech and oak trees damaged
The wetter and cooler weather this year compared to previous years has given Brandenburg's forests a breather. The proportion of trees without visible damage has more than tripled from 8 percent in the previous year to 25 percent, reported Forestry Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) on Monday. However, more than a third of the oaks and beeches continue to show significant damage after the very dry years from 2018 to 2022. Overall, 16 percent of the forest area was significantly damaged - 4 percentage points less than in the previous year.
"The rain in spring and a better water supply in summer were good for tree health," said Vogel. "However, the overall high level of damage is no reason to sound the all-clear - we are only dealing with a pause for breath and not a trend reversal."
According to the ministry, the proportion of severely damaged trees has remained almost the same at 2 percent and the dieback rate has doubled from 0.4 to 0.8 percent. The positive trend with many trees without visible damage is mainly due to the good budding of pine trees in spring.
Biodiversity also necessary in the forest
According to the ministry, other tree species such as maple, hornbeam and birch will become important in forestry in the future because they can cope better with the drought in some cases. "In order to make the forest more climate-stable and less susceptible to harmful insects and forest fires, forest conversion continues to be a very important task for foresters," said Vogel.
"In future, at least three tree species should characterize a forest." The prerequisite for this is sufficient hunting of hoofed game such as deer, which eat the young tree shoots.
A reduced number and extent of forest fires this year has also contributed to the respite for the forests. According to the report, there were 244 fires on an area of 773 hectares - this means that the number of forest fires was about half that of last year.
Lots of garbage in the forest
A major problem is the illegal dumping of garbage, especially in the commuter belt around Berlin, the ministry reported. Last year, around 6000 cubic meters of waste was dumped in Brandenburg's forests and disposed of at the taxpayer's expense at a cost of 7.2 million euros. In addition to the high costs, there is also a risk of contamination of the soil or groundwater.
According to the ministry, 37 percent of Brandenburg's land area is covered by forest, a total of more than 1.1 million hectares. For the forest condition report, 4740 "sample trees" are examined. The main characteristics for the condition of the trees are the thinning of crowns due to loss of needles or leaves and the proportion of trees with significant damage.
Forest condition report 2023
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- Forestry Minister Axel Vogel mentioned that the wetter and cooler weather this year has provided a much-needed breather for Brandenburg's forests.
- The increased rainfall in spring and better water supply during summer have significantly improved the health of trees, as Governor Axel Vogel noted.
- Despite the improvement, more than a third of the beech and oak trees still show significant damage from the dry years between 2018 and 2022.
- The positive trend in trees without visible damage is primarily attributed to the excellent budding of pine trees during the spring season.
- Vogel emphasized that the overall high level of damage is not a reason to celebrate, but simply a momentary pause for breath, and not a sign of a trend reversal.
- In the future, the ministry believes that other tree species such as maple, hornbeam, and birch will become important in forestry due to their resilience to drought.
- Rainfall reductions and higher temperatures are expected to continue, making nature conservation and forest conservation efforts crucial for preserving the health and stability of Brandenburg's forests, as advocated by Minister Axel Vogel.
Source: www.stern.de
