Erfurt (dpa/th) – In view of serious forest damage as a result of the climate crisis, Thuringia is increasing financial support for forest owners. The Ministry of Infrastructure announced on Friday that a record sum of 25 million euros will be made available this year for the renovation of the areas. In the past year, a total of 21.2 million euros were paid to the forestry companies. The ministry has extended the state program to deal with climate-related forest damage caused by storms or extreme drought until the end of 2024.
According to the ministry, the costs for forestry companies to remediate damaged areas and plant more resilient trees are enormous. More than 10,000 euros could accrue per hectare. A third of Thuringia’s land area is covered with forest, that’s about 550,000 hectares. A large part of this area is managed by the state agency Thüringenforst, other forests belong to municipalities and private individuals.
With the state funds, forest owners are supported, among other things, in the processing of damaged wood, reforestation and preventive forest fire protection. According to the Ministry, the funding opportunities offered are in very high demand.
In 2022, around 3.9 million solid cubic meters of damaged wood due to bark beetle infestation were found in Thuringian forests alone – according to the ministry, a quantity that is more than twice as high as the regular annual wood harvest. The bark beetles primarily attack coniferous trees such as spruces, which are particularly susceptible to this due to a lack of water and drought stress.
