The climate damage in the forest has far-reaching consequences. The new federal forest inventory shows that more carbon is now being released into the areas than is being absorbed.
Due to climate-related damage, the forest is now releasing more carbon than it can absorb. The forest has now become a “source of carbon,” said Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) in Berlin when presenting the new federal forest inventory. “This means that the loss of biomass due to storms and drought as well as beetle infestations is greater than the increase in living biomass.”
The effects of the climate crisis were very real. “The consequence of this: the German forest no longer helps us to achieve our climate goals to the extent that we were used to,” said Özdemir.
Mixed forest conversion is making progress
The study also shows that the conversion to mixed forests, which are more stable in a changing climate, is making progress. Since the 2012 federal forest inventory, the forest area has increased slightly by 15,000 hectares. The forest in Germany has a wood supply of 3.7 billion cubic meters – which has remained largely unchanged over ten years.
According to the law, the federal forest inventory must take place at least every ten years. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture describes it as the most comprehensive survey on the condition of forests in Germany and has commissioned the Thünen Institute for Forest Ecosystems to lead the study. Forests cover around a third of Germany’s entire area.
Source: Stern
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