"The climate crisis not only kills polar bears, but also our forests" - the consequences of the summer in the Nuremberg region
Created: 09/24/2022, 14:44
By: Felix Herz
In the Nuremberg region, the forests suffered greatly from the consequences of the hot summer.
© NEWS5 / Deyerler
The consequences of the extremely hot summer of 2022 in the forests of the Nuremberg region are becoming more and more apparent.
An expert talks about the cause and solution.
Nuremberg - The summer of 2022 was hot, dry and a great burden on nature - also in Bavaria.
And it was another summer in which everyone was able to experience the consequences of climate change up close and personal in this country.
From burning fields and forests, to drying up lakes and rivers, to health consequences for many citizens.
But longer-term consequences are now also becoming noticeable.
For example in the forests of the Nuremberg region.
The climate crisis is also making itself felt in the mountains.
The tree line is shifting in the Alps and the glaciers are melting.
Climate change in Bavaria: dying forests in the Nuremberg region - the causes
Opposite
news5.de
is the forest and hunting officer of the Bavarian Nature Conservation Union, Dr.
Ralf Straussenberger, questions and answers.
In the Schwabachtal, district of Roth, you can see the numerous pine trees with their rust-brown crowns with the naked eye - a clear indication of the dying process in which the trees are.
According to Straußberger, the reason for this is a fungus that attacks the trees, which have been weakened by the summer heat.
"The climate crisis is not only killing polar bears, but also more and more our forests," says the expert.
Another problem: the bark beetle.
It also benefits from the hot summer weather - it multiplies much faster.
In the Franconian Forest, 10,000 hectares have already fallen victim to the bark beetle.
That's a quarter of the entire forest.
According to
news5.de
, the nature conservation association sees politics as having a responsibility to act.
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"Climate crisis is killing our forests": Another problem - and a solution
Another problem reinforces the vicious circle: the trees die - and no new ones grow back.
This is due to the deer eating the fresh seedlings.
According to news5.de
, the number of wild animals in many forests is far too high .
Deer and deer would eat up the forest.
The result would be a disaster, according to Straußenberger.
"Decades of failings in climate policy go hand in hand here with decades of failings in hunting policy," he comments.
But Straussenberger also talks about possible solutions.
In private forests in the municipality of Rohr, a young mixed forest was successfully cultivated.
It is the largest forest conversion project in Bavaria since 2011.
According to the expert, the decisive factor here is the increase in game shooting.
According to this
news5.de
, in the private forests it is up to three times higher than the Bavarian average.
(fhz)
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