The new federal forest inventory documents light and shadow in the forest. The development of mixed forests is making progress. At the same time, the consequences of climate damage are becoming noticeable.
Drought, storms and beetle infestations: Due to damage caused by climate change, the forest in Germany no longer makes a sufficient contribution to storing the greenhouse gas CO2. “The green heart of our country is getting out of sync,” said Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) in Berlin at the presentation of the new federal forest inventory.
At the same time, the total forest area has grown slightly by 15,000 hectares. A third of Germany’s total area is forested – that’s 11.5 million hectares.
According to the report, the forest in Germany has a wood supply of around 3.6 billion cubic meters – the calculated total volume of all trees has therefore been almost unchanged for a good ten years. “This means that Germany is still the country with the most reserves in Europe in absolute terms,” said the head of the federal forest inventory, Thomas Riedel, from the federally owned Thünen Institute.
The forest no longer helps with climate goals
Based on extensive samples, the study provides information about forest area, damage to trees, the proportion of tree species and wood use. It thus provides fundamental data that is important for the protection of forests, economic use and adaptation to changing climate conditions.
“The effects of the climate crisis are having a very real impact,” said Özdemir, who also reiterated his call for a new federal forest law. You can see the damage in the forests when you are out and about. “The result of this: The German forest no longer helps us to achieve our climate goals to the extent that we were used to. Due to the enormous climate-related damage, the forest in Germany is now releasing more carbon than it can absorb,” he said. The forest has now become a source of carbon. The loss of biomass due to storms and drought as well as beetle infestations is greater than the increase in living biomass.
The most comprehensive survey on the condition of the forests presented
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. In the forests, 100.4 billion trees are larger than 20 centimeters, according to the report. “These are too many to measure them all. Therefore, a small part of the forest, a sample, is selected so that measurements there reflect the overall forest conditions.”
According to the inventory, the most common tree species are now pine (22 percent), which has replaced spruce (21 percent), followed by beech (17 percent) and oak (12 percent). The remaining 28 percent is distributed among a further 47 tree species and tree species groups. The area of deciduous trees increased by 7 percent compared to 2012.
“This is primarily due to active forest conversion for better climate adaptation of forests,” write the authors. On average, the trees in the forest are older and thicker than during the last inventory. The area with mixed forest has increased to 79 percent.
Severe damage caused by extreme weather or beetle infestations (“calamities”) was observed on 2 million hectares or 19 percent of forest areas. The extent of treeless areas (“nakedness”) has increased from 40,000 hectares to 100,000 hectares.
Forest owners’ associations: Conversion of forests is a multi-generational project
The Working Group of German Forest Owners’ Associations sees the further development of structurally rich mixed forests as an important contribution to climate protection. “This socially desirable forest conversion is a multi-generational project,” said the organization’s president, Andreas Bitter. The federal forest inventory documents the successes of sustainable forest management in the climate crisis. Bitter emphasized: “We are working successfully on the forest of the future.”
The German Nature Conservation Association (Nabu) called for a “radical health program” for the forests. “The nationwide measurement data now shows in black and white: We are experiencing a new forest dieback. Our forests are no longer a sink, but a source of greenhouse gases,” explained Nabu President Jörg-Andreas Krüger. “The narrative of German forests as carbon stores is now a thing of the past.”
Source: Stern
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