The bark beetle season in Saxony has started earlier than in previous years. The unusually warm first weekend in April has led to the species spruce bark beetle and copper engraver swarming very early, the Ministry of the Environment announced on Wednesday.
The first attack of the beetles was also unexpectedly intense and also included the low mountain ranges. Forest owners should now check their trees quickly and take defensive measures if necessary.
"We have had a historically strong bark beetle infestation for several years now," explained Forestry Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens). The early start of the swarming this year corresponds to the extreme bark beetle years 2018 to 2020.
Forest owners should now inspect the trees - especially spruces and pines - for infestation. Affected trees should be felled quickly and removed from the forest, or the young beetles should be prevented from leaving the trunk in some other way.
Trees that have fallen over in the fall and winter should also be removed now. They provide a particularly good breeding opportunity and could become the source of a further infestation of still healthy trees.
With the start of the swarm flight, the state enterprise Sachsenforst also started monitoring the bark beetles again. The activity of the animals is being monitored at around 90 locations across the state using special traps.
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