Change forest: New strategies save the trees in Rhineland-Palatinate!

climate change and its effects increase the forests in Rhineland-Palatinate. In a recently published report, alarming conditions showed: 85.2% of the trees are considered to be damaged. Förster Joscha Erbes emphasizes that increasing the resistance of the forests is necessary by testing with new tree species. Among other things, this is tried out in the Vorholz district in the Rheinhessen forestry district, where 40% of the trees book oak, 30% and 30% make a mixture of 44 different tree species. This diversity is crucial for forest protection.

Erbes emphasizes that a vertical mix of the forest, i.e. trees of different ages and density, can increase resistance. Light control is a relevant topic because red oak need a lot of light, while beeches need less, but create shadows. This winter, 600 new and alternative trees were planted, and around 20 tests run with alternative tree species. The focus of the forester is increasingly on the keeping of the forest instead of pure economy, which is related to a desired generation change among the foresters. The plans for the afforestation and diversity of tree species are long -term because Estkastania can grow around one meter annually under optimal conditions.

forest health in Germany

The situation is not only tense in Rhineland-Palatinate. The annual forest status surveys show that the crown state of German forests in 2023 hardly changed compared to the previous year. A high crown evacuation is determined for all tree species. A third of the country of Germany is forested, with spruce, jaw, beech and oak as the most common tree species. Although 20% of the trees examined are without crown damage, the average crown evaluation remains the same at 25.9%.

The year 2023 was the warmest since 1881 and brought a lot of precipitation. Despite these weather conditions, the degree of damage remains high, with severe loads, especially in older trees. The results of the forest state surveys are crucial for forestry and environmental policy decisions, since they show the influence of Baumalter, management and pollutants on the forest state. German forests bind 1.26 billion tons of carbon annually, which underlines that a healthy forest acts as a carbon sink and thus contributes to relieving the atmosphere. However, the loss of inventory between 2018 and 2023 could make the forest from a depression to a source for greenhouse gases.

The forest state report 2024 will be presented on January 9, 2025 in Mainz by Climate Protection Minister Katrin Eder. The comprehensive collection of this data has been carried out since 1984 and serves as the basis for important political decisions on forest protection in Germany.