The chief culprit has been the tiny bark beetle, which has gone on a rampage as trees in water-starved habitats have lost their natural defences. “Since 2018 the attacked trees have been under water stress and their roots are no longer deep enough,” explained Mr. Biedermann. Larissa Schulz-Trieglaff of the Forest Owners Association said all this had “caused the beetle population to explode” resulting in the “catastrophe of the century” for German forests. Many drought-stressed trees, meanwhile, have been too weakened to produce enough of the sticky sap that traps bugs or repels them with natural insecticidal compounds. Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the new funds should not be used to plant even more heat-susceptible spruce forests, but rather more resilient and neutral mixed woodlands.

Source: The Hindu September 27, 2019 06:11 UTC