- Minister: 11,000 hectares of forest reforested in Thuringia
Thuringia is making good progress in saving its forests, according to Forest Minister Susanna Karawanskij (Left Party). In the past five years, 11,000 hectares have been actively reforested, with around ten million young trees planted. Now, over half of the approximately 120,000 hectares of damaged areas are growing new, diverse forests.
End of the dominant spruce monoculture
"The time of pure stands is over," said Karawanskij. The most planted tree species is the drought-resistant oak, but larch, fir, Douglas fir, beech, and broad-leaved trees like maples, elm, ash, and lime are also common. The once-dominant spruce now plays a minor role in reforestation.
In total, the state-owned forest nursery in Breitenworbis cultivates 32 different tree species for the diverse forest conversion. This year, Breitenworbis will provide around two million saplings for this purpose, according to the minister.
The forest rescue requires time and perseverance, said Karawanskij. Since 2018, almost 22% of Thuringia's total forest area has been damaged. Almost 28 million cubic meters of damaged wood have fallen due to drought, storms, and bark beetles. Spruce has been particularly affected by bark beetles. The relatively wet weather this year gives hope that the spread of bark beetles will be slowed down, she said.
Funds available despite austerity measures
This year, despite austerity measures, 17.3 million euros are available to forest owners, especially for tackling forest damage. The focus is on small forest owners with up to 20 hectares. The subsidy for purchasing site-appropriate plants has been increased to up to 100% for small forest owners. There is high demand for financial support given the need for reforestation. Thuringia has around 180,000 private forest owners.
In response to the complex forest damages, the state government adopted an action plan in summer 2019 to make the forest future-proof in the face of climate change. The state will provide half a billion euros from different funding sources by 2030. More than half of Thuringia's forest area is privately owned, as well as corporate and municipal forests. There are a total of 550,000 hectares of forest in the Free State.
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The following state-owned forest nursery in Breitenworbis cultivates 32 different tree species for the diverse forest conversion. Despite the austerity measures, the following 17.3 million euros are available to forest owners for tackling forest damage.
