Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – After damage caused by drought and bark beetles, timber exports from Hesse have increased significantly. More than 1.4 million cubic meters of softwood were exported in 2020, around 60 percent more than in the previous year, according to the Ministry of the Environment’s response to a parliamentary question from the FDP parliamentary group. Compared to 2018, the amount of raw wood exported has increased more than eightfold.
Imports, on the other hand, fell. It was 511 cubic meters for softwood in 2020, after around 39,000 cubic meters had been imported in 2016.
“Due to the climate crisis and in particular the spread of the bark beetle, more timber was felled. As a result, larger quantities of wood were also marketed,” the ministry explained. More recent figures are not available.
