Germany's forests are dying—but new planting techniques offer hope

The skeletal remains of what were once thriving spruce forests now stand across Germany's landscapes, gray monuments to a climate crisis that has transformed one of Europe's most forested nations.

Since 2018, more than 900,000 hectares of German forest have been lost to bark beetle infestations, drought, and extreme weather events. The crisis has reached such severity that Germany's forests, once critical carbon sinks, have now become net emitters of greenhouse gases for the first time in recorded history.

According to the agriculture ministry's 2025 forest condition assessment, four out of five trees of the most common species have suffered damage. The Harz Mountains in northern Germany exemplify this devastation, where thousands of dead spruce trees create an apocalyptic tableau that shocks visitors expecting the lush green forests Germany is famous for.

What makes this particularly alarming extends beyond aesthetics. These dying forests threaten 750,000 jobs in forestry and timber, a sector that generates approximately 76 million cubic meters of timber annually and contributes significantly to rural economies.

The root cause traces back to management decisions made centuries ago. Driven by economic considerations, German forestry prioritized fast-growing coniferous species like Norway spruce and Scots pine, which now account for roughly 60 percent of forest coverage. These monoculture plantations proved highly profitable but created a fatal vulnerability.

When consecutive years of drought struck between 2018 and 2020, stressed trees became easy targets for bark beetle populations that exploded under the warmer conditions. Entire forests died within weeks.

The mixed forest revolution

Forest engineers across Germany are now implementing a radical solution that breaks with centuries of tradition. Rather than replanting single-species stands, they are creating diverse, climate-resilient forests that combine multiple tree species selected for their ability to withstand future climate conditions.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a European Union-funded program is leading this transformation. The Arnsberg project, covering 34 hectares of previously devastated forestland, carefully mixes four species of conifers and broadleaf trees chosen for their adaptation potential. Forest experts selected each species based on worst-case climate scenarios, anticipating the hotter, drier conditions expected as global temperatures continue rising. The approach represents a fundamental shift from viewing forests as timber production facilities to treating them as complex ecosystems that must balance economic viability with environmental resilience.

Marcus Lindner, head of resilience at the European Forest Institute, emphasizes the strategic thinking behind these mixed forests. The diversity provides insurance against future climate shocks. If one species fails under new conditions, others can maintain forest cover and ecosystem functions. This biodiversity-based approach also enhances carbon storage capacity, supports wildlife populations, and maintains the water regulation services that healthy forests provide.

The transition to mixed forests involves introducing heat-tolerant deciduous trees like oak and beech alongside carefully selected conifers. Some projects incorporate Douglas fir, a North American species that research suggests may adapt well to Central European conditions. Recent studies from the University of Göttingen found that mixed forests combining beech with Douglas fir showed enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem functioning while improving economic performance compared to single-species stands.

Challenges and controversies

The path forward remains contentious. Forest management experts divide into camps with fundamentally different philosophies. Some advocate for natural regeneration, allowing forests to recover through spontaneous adaptation with minimal human intervention. Others argue that time constraints imposed by accelerating climate change require active planting of climate-adapted species, including non-native varieties.

Regional regulations complicate implementation. North Rhine-Westphalia's nature protection rules permit only local species, limiting experimentation with potentially valuable non-native trees. Financial constraints also hinder progress. The costs of removing dead trees, preparing land, and establishing new mixed forests exceed the resources of many private forest owners. The timber market collapse following widespread tree death further strained budgets, as the sudden oversupply of salvaged wood drove prices below harvesting costs.

The debate extends to questions about which species deserve priority. While Douglas fir shows promise for timber production and drought tolerance, concerns about its ecological impacts persist. Research indicates that pure Douglas fir stands support lower biodiversity than native oak, beech, or spruce forests, though carefully balanced mixed stands can mitigate these effects. Traditional beech and oak species, once considered resilient, have shown surprising vulnerability to recent drought conditions, challenging assumptions about native species adaptation.

A race against time

Germany's Federal Climate Adaptation Strategy, adopted in 2024, established measurable targets for converting coniferous monocultures to semi-natural mixed forests by 2030. The strategy acknowledges that these forests store more water, demonstrate greater drought resilience, cool surrounding areas, and provide essential recreation space. However, the timeline appears optimistic given the scale of required transformation.

The conversion requires not only massive investment but also fundamental changes to forest management practices developed over three centuries. Germany pioneered scientific forestry in the early 1700s, creating systems that became international models. That same systematic approach now must evolve to embrace complexity over simplicity, diversity over uniformity.

Success stories provide encouragement. Organizations like ForTomorrow and Trinkwasserwald have planted hundreds of thousands of trees in mixed forest configurations across Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and other regions.

These projects demonstrate that climate-resilient forests can regenerate when given proper species diversity and management. The planting of heat-tolerant deciduous trees among coniferous stands has shown measurable improvements in groundwater yield, sometimes increasing it by 800,000 liters per hectare annually while enhancing overall forest health.

The urgency intensifies as forest experts anticipate that climate-related disasters will increase in both frequency and intensity, threatening remaining forest ecosystems. With forest lifespans extending beyond a century, today's planting decisions will shape landscapes well into the next century, determining whether Germany's forests survive to provide carbon storage, biodiversity habitat, and economic benefits for future generations.