Weather & Science
Wildfires Are Only One of the Threats Ravaging Europe’s Forests
- Tiny bark beetles attack weakened trees to extend devastation
- Poor mix of trees make woodlands vulnerable and prompt rethink
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In the vast woodlands that surround the Bavarian city of Augsburg, Eva Ritter looks across piles upon piles of dead spruce trees with concern. Just days previously, they helped absorb some of the emissions that stoke climate change, but now they’re a sign of how difficult the crisis is to fight.
After years of drought weakened their defenses, an infestation of bark beetles tore through the insides of the trees this summer, forcing Ritter and her team of foresters to have them chopped down and carted away before the damage multiplies. Over the course of a year, a single infested tree can affect 400 others.