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Germany

20% less damaged wood compared to the previous year

Article by Philipp Matzku (automatically translated) | 27.08.2024 - 08:30
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Mit 27,7 Mio. fm liegt die Schadholzprognose in Deutschland 7 Mio. fm unter dem Vorjahr

 

According to the forest damage report by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMEL), 11 million cubic metres of damaged wood were produced in the first half of the year. Of this, nearly 9.6 million cubic metres (87%) were  softwood, and 1.5 million cubic metres (13%) were hardwood. For the second half of the year, the German federal states expect a volume of 16.7 million cubic metres of damaged wood. The share of softwood in the second half is estimated at 15.2 million cubic metres (91%). The mid-year forecast for damaged timber, at 27.7 million cubic metres, is approximately 3% lower than that of the first quarter. In the previous year, the volume of damaged wood was 34.6 million cubic metres, a decrease of 7 million cubic metres or 20%.

With 8.9 million cubic metres in Bavaria, 6.4 million cubic metres in Thuringia, and 4.8 million cubic metres in Baden-Württemberg, the forecast for damaged timber remains at a high level. Notably, Thuringia expects 4.5 million cubic metres of softwood damage in the second half of the year, compared to 1.8 million cubic metres in the first six months.

In other federal states, which have also experienced high levels of damaged wood in recent years, "the middle-aged and old stands are already so badly damaged that the bark beetle can hardly find new areas to attack," explains a BMEL spokeswoman. For instance, in North Rhine-Westphalia, 932,000 cubic metres of damaged wood are expected. In 2023, the volume of damaged wood in this state, the largest in the Federal Republic of Germany, was 2 million cubic metres. In 2019, 15.8 million cubic metres were reported, compared to 13.2 million cubic metres a year later. Hesse forecasts a damaged wood volume of 2 million cubic metres, Rhineland-Palatinate 1.4 million cubic metres, and Lower Saxony 1.2 million cubic metres. According to the BMEL, the wood industry can easily absorb these quantities of beetle-damaged wood.

The need for reforestation in 2024 is estimated at 51,213 hectares, with 31,924 hectares required in the second half of the year.