Bark Beetle Populations Surge Following Hot And Dry Weather

FALKENAU, GERMANY - JULY 6: In an aerial view, spruce trees stand in an area where nearby trees were infested by European spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) and removed in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the pest in a forest in the state of Saxony on July 6, 2023 near Falkenau, Germany. Forestry officials, particularly in Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg, are observing a surge in bark beetle populations due to the recent unseasonably dry and hot weather of May and June. The beetles, which bore into the bark of spruce trees and stop the trees' needed circulation of water and nutrients, can devastate spruce forests. “It’s a calamity,” said one forest ranger, who said bark beetle infestations since 2018 have been worse than in previous years, a phenomenon forestry officials attribute to climate change. The impact is two-fold, because hot, dry weather also weakens the trees by reducing their ability to generate sap, making them less able to fend off bark beetle attacks. Germany has high concentrations of spruce forests in certain regions, where they were planted over centuries for commercial use in the lumber industry. (Footage by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)