The ongoing drought isn't just a problem for farmers. Also in the parks of the Free State, precautions must be taken to ensure that the trees are not damaged.
Dresden (dpa / sn) - The state parks in Saxony are worried about their valuable trees in view of the drought. "We are facing the greatest challenge that threatens the existence of our historic parks. If the climate continues to develop as it has in recent years, the garden monuments that have grown over the centuries will not be able to be maintained in their previous form," said Schloesserland Director Christian Striefler of the German press agency.
"The trees essentially shape the image of our historical gardens and parks. When the trees die, there is automatically a loss of historical substance, and part of the cultural heritage is then irretrievably lost," said Frithjof Pitzschel, the garden area manager responsible for western Saxony. The Great Garden in Dresden and the castle parks of Pillnitz and Moritzburg were particularly badly affected. But there is also damage and dead trees in other facilities such as the Großsedlitz Baroque Garden, the Rammenau Palace Park or on the mountain of the Albrechtsburg Meissen.
As a short-term countermeasure, Pitzschel cites increased watering and watering in the plants. "Individual branches and the trunk were covered with shade mats to protect against sunburn on the bark of a fern-leaved beech in Pillnitz Castle Park. If the bark of the trees cracks due to severe drought, the tree is more susceptible to diseases," explained the expert. It is not possible to say how much higher the water consumption is. "Most of the water that supplies our gardens comes from wells."
According to the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Saxony is particularly susceptible to drought. Reason: The Free State is located at the transition from a maritime climate in the west to a continental climate in the east, i.e. at the border between the humid Atlantic and the dry continental air masses. "Therefore, the eastern part of Saxony has significantly less precipitation than the German average. Climate change is also causing a shift in air mass boundaries and leading to a stronger influence of continental air masses."
As a result of the lack of precipitation, the strong solar radiation and the wind, the dry soil is increasing, the groundwater levels are falling and the flow of water in the watercourses is said to be falling. "The precipitation deficit in Saxony has been around 490 millimeters since 2018. This means that around 70 percent of annual precipitation has been missing since 2018," emphasized spokeswoman Karin Bernhardt.
According to the State Office, around 87 percent of the measuring points are currently 38 centimeters below the monthly typical groundwater level. "Currently, the flow rates in the Saxon rivers and streams are in the low water range at 69 percent of the measuring points, and another 20 percent are heading towards it. The current situation in the Saxon watercourses is comparable to the situation in the dry years of 2018 and 2019," it said.
