<
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/05/1191724399/climate-change-threatens-germanys-fairy-tale-forests>
'QUEDLINBURG, Germany – Andre Salamon wends his way through coniferous
woodlands on a hillside in Germany's central Harz region.
Salamon is a forester, out looking for damage. He doesn't have to search for
long and points to tiny holes in the bark of a spruce – the work of a beetle
that has infested this entire region.
"It's now normal to find dying or dead trees on a daily basis," he says, adding
that it's a worrying phenomenon not limited to these forests. The dense, green
woodlands of Germany that gave rise to the Grimms' fairy tales are turning gray
and dying. Forests still cover a third of the country, but according to the
latest federal government survey, 79% of all trees nationwide are sick, dying
or dead.
Salamon shrugs. He says that with most trees weakened by five years of drought,
the bark beetles are only finishing off the job. But it hurts all the same. "I
won't deny that I'm sad to see a tree die a hundred years too soon," he says.'
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
