State Forestry Office - Highest amount of wood damaged by bark beetles in Thuringia
The damage caused by bark beetles in Thuringia's spruce forests in 2023 is higher than ever before. Last year, around six million solid cubic meters of damaged wood were produced, according to the state forestry office. This is the highest amount of damaged wood ever statistically recorded in the Free State. In 2022, the figure was 3.9 million cubic meters.
The bark beetle had already gone into hibernation in large numbers in 2022 and then multiplied explosively again in 2023, Thuringia Forestry spokesman Horst Sproßmann told the German Press Agency. The next generation of bark beetles will start their first swarm flight this spring.
At altitudes of up to 600 meters, the bark beetle has already largely destroyed the spruce stands in Thuringia. According to the state forestry office, no more spruce trees are being planted there, instead deciduous and mixed forests are being planted. In the Thuringian forest, the bark beetle continues to eat its way through the stands. Around half of the 24 forestry offices - including Frauenwald, Gehren, Neuhaus am Rennweg, Schönbrunn and Schleiz - are currently working intensively to combat the bark beetle.
In order to save the still healthy spruce trees and contain the spread of the pest, infested trees must be removed from the forest as quickly as possible. The damaged timber is initially stored to prevent an extreme oversupply on the timber market and thus support prices, said Sproßmann. In Thuringia, two large warehouses near Merkers (Wartburg district) and one in Ohrdruf (Gotha district) are available for this purpose. Damaged timber is also exported to China.
According to Sproßmann, in addition to the losses of spruce trees weakened by the drought, the damaged areas in the beech stands are also continuing to increase. "Everywhere in Thuringia, older beech stands are continuing to die off due to the drought - regardless of whether they are managed or not." This also affects the Hainich National Park.
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Source: www.stern.de
