Woods now release their own carbon dioxide.
Climate change-induced pests and drought are causing issues for Germany's forests. As per a Green Party politician's assessment, the condition of these forests is alarmingly poor, earning a score of "four minus." Since 2017, forests have been releasing more carbon than they've been able to store. This shift in carbon balance makes Germany's forests a "carbon source," marking the first time in decades that they've contributed to increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere, as reported by Berlin's Federal Ministry of Agriculture during their presentation of the Federal Forest Inventory.
Destruction from storms, drought, and insect infestations has exceeded the addition of new biomass in the forest since 2017. The impacts of climate change are undeniable, with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture's Minister, Cem Özdemir, acknowledging that the crisis has caused significant harm to the forests. This damage has resulted in a decrease of 41.5 million tonnes in the forest's carbon stock since 2017, particularly in the case of spruce trees, which have been affected by drought and bark beetle infestations since 2018.
The overall forest area has remained relatively stable at 11.5 million hectares, with a seven percent increase in broad-leaved trees and a slight rise in mixed forests to 79 percent. This trend is seen as positive, as a higher proportion of broad-leaved trees and mixed forests are believed to enhance the forest's resilience in the face of changing climate conditions.
Martin Häusling, the agricultural policy spokesperson for the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, criticized the condition of Germany's forests by giving them a poor grade of "four minus." He arguing that the notion of Germany's forests acting as a carbon sink to support climate change mitigation efforts is now obsolete, as the forests themselves are now releasing greenhouse gases. Going forward, forestry should prioritize protection and conservation over exploitation.
The average age of trees in Germany's forests has risen by five years, reaching 82 years on average, between 2012 and 2022. Twenty percent of the forests are older than 120 years, and thirty percent are over 100 years old. The Federal Forest Inventory is conducted every ten years, and for the 2012-2022 period, data was collected at over 520,000 tree locations and measured at 80,000 sample points, as reported by the Thünen Institute.
Despite Germany's forests being a source of CO2 emissions due to increased transport-related CO2 emissions since 2017, efforts to increase the proportion of broad-leaved trees and mixed forests are seen as positive, as these forest types are more resilient to changing climate conditions. However, the Green Party politician highlighted that Germany's forests are no longer acting as a carbon sink, instead releasing greenhouse gases, challenging the conventional notion of their role in climate change mitigation efforts.
