Dresden (dpa / sn) - Saxony's forests are again threatened with immense damage from the bark beetle. According to experts, the pests are increasingly spreading to higher regions of the Ore Mountains, which have previously been less affected. "Our hopes that the situation will normalize and that the forest can recover are not being fulfilled," said Environment Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) on Friday. "We are in the fifth year of the bark beetle crisis."
According to the observations of the foresters, the swarming flight of the beetles started at least a week earlier this year. It is therefore to be feared that up to three generations can hatch and the damage will increase significantly. The focus is on eastern Saxony, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, central Saxony and the eastern and central Ore Mountains.
Foresters and forest owners have been moaning for years about the great damage that the beetles cause in the forest. They burrow through the bark of trees and create nesting tunnels for their offspring. Higher temperatures, drought and storms weaken trees, making them less resistant to the pests. "The enormous bark beetle infestation is a consequence of the climate crisis," said Günther.
According to the ministry, the decisive factor in the fight against the bark beetle is finding infested trees quickly, felling them and removing them from the forest. According to the information, however, this is associated with additional costs for the forest owners.
According to earlier information from the Sachsenforst state enterprise, in the extremely dry years of 2019 and 2020, bark beetles caused around 2.1 million cubic meters of damaged wood. Last year, the damage was somewhat lower at around 1.8 million cubic meters, also due to protective measures and the weather. The amounts of damaged wood that will occur this year can only be roughly estimated at the moment, it said on Friday. The spruce, the most common tree species in Saxony, is particularly affected. But other trees such as pines are also affected.
