Thuringia’s forests have lost around 20 million trees since 2018

Thüringenforst head Corinna Geißler attributed the losses over eight years to drought, storms and bark beetle infestations. Spruce die-off was mainly responsible, but other tree species were affected too, she said.

Geißler expects the number of lost trees to keep rising despite replanting and natural forest regeneration. In 2018, the forest stock stood at 330 million trees.