Forest state report 2023: High damage to spruce and beech in Baden -Württemberg - Emergency plan forest and forest strategy 2050 should remedy the situation

Forest state report 2023: High damage to spruce and beech in Baden -Württemberg - Emergency plan forest and forest strategy 2050 should remedy the situation

concern about the condition of the forests in Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg, October 26, 2023-The current forest state report for 2023 shows that the health of the forests in Baden-Württemberg is still worrying. In particular, spruce and beech trees suffer from an unchanged high malfunction, while oak, fir and Douglasia recover. In view of this alarming location, the country has taken ambitious measures with the Emergency Plan Wald and the 2050 forest strategy to make the forests sustainable and future -proof.

Climate change has shown significant effects on the forests in the past five years. The natural adaptability of the forest trees is overwhelmed by the rapid climate change, which endangers the stability of the forest ecosystem and its common good. Despite the more favorable weather conditions this year, the crowning of the beech and the spruce remains critical. In particular, the spruce suffers from the mass increase in the bark beetle book printer. The self -healing powers of nature are important, but are not enough to keep the forest in function. Therefore, the emergency plan forest and the forest strategy 2050 are decisive instruments to give the forest actors action options and to adapt the forest to the changed climate to maintain its diverse functions.

The current surveys of the forest state report show that forest damage is still at a significantly higher level than in the 1980s and 1990s. There are big differences in health, especially for the most common tree species. Oaks, firs and Douglasia show a recovery with improvements from several percentage points. The condition of pine and mountain hamers improves easily. However, the spruce and the beech, which together make up more than half of the forest area in Baden-Württemberg, remain on an unchanged HAY level. The bark beetles in particular increase the spruce, and the beeches also suffer from delayed effects of the last extreme weather years.

For the future, the beech is no longer available with the climatic conditions there due to climatic changes in the warmest regions of the country from 2050. Nevertheless, the beech continues to play an important role in the lands of the country when it is in connection with other drought -tolerant tree species.

In order to meet these challenges, Forest Minister Peter Hauk emphasizes the importance of persecution of climate protection goals and a nursing and precautionary forestry. The Baden-Württemberg forest strategy offers an action plan that supports the forest players in adapting the forest to the new climate. In particular, the promotion of mixed forests from climate adaptable trees and the provision of wood as a raw material for the Transformation of the construction system and the economy play an important role. Minister Hauk emphasizes that the overall better state of health of the young trees gives rise to hope and that it is important to start here and consistently maintain the forests.

The forest state report 2023 illustrates the serious situation of the forests in Baden-Württemberg. In view of the unchanged High Shads' Levels for Spruce and Buchen, a quick and consistent implementation of the planned measures from the Emergency Plan Wald and the 2050 forest strategy is urgently required. Only through sustainable management and adaptation of the forest to the changed climate can the long -term stability and the diverse functions of the forest be preserved. At the same time, climate protection must be advanced further in order to limit the effects of climate change on the forests. The forests in Baden-Württemberg can only be protected in the long term by a coordinated procedure of all actors.