Mixed forest on a slope with withered conifers. (Image: Frank Thonfeld)
Mixed forest on a slope with withered conifers. (Image: Frank Thonfeld) Increasing heat and drought are changing forests faster than expected. Researchers at the University of Würzburg want to keep a better eye on these dynamics. They have raised 1.2 million euros for their project. "Alarming data: Five percent of the forest area is gone." This news made its way through the German media landscape in February 2022. The basis of the news was a satellite-based evaluation by the German Aerospace Center (DLR): According to it, 501,000 hectares of trees were destroyed in Germany from January 2018 to April 2021 - considerably more than previously thought. The DLR cited the recent heat and drought periods as the main cause, which in turn favored infestation by insect pests.
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