Investigating heat and drought effects on beech forests

16th to 20th of July 2019, Germany

In the context of the BEECH POWER Interreg project, a delegation of the Centre for Econics including Jeanette Blumröder, Oleh Chavskovskyi (UNFU, Lviv/Ukraine currently as guest researcher in Eberswalde), Peter Hobson, Pierre Ibisch and Stefan Kreft visited a series of forest sites in order to investigate and discuss the effect of heat and drought. The team also met Hainich National Park director Manfred Grossmann, who guided a tour through the National Park. Currently, in northern Thuringia the beech forests experience an unprecedented dieback, probably triggered by the extreme weather conditions. There is the risk of losing vast beech forest stands in Germany, indicating that climate change has started to impact the zonal ecosystem of Central Europe. 

Dying beech forest in Hainich National Park (photo: P. Ibisch, 17 July)

Dying beech forest in Hainich National Park (photo: P. Ibisch, 17 July)

Manfred Grossmann, director of Hainich National Park, together with a Beech Power delegation studying the unfolding beech dieback in Eastern Germany (photo: P. Ibisch)

Manfred Grossmann, director of Hainich National Park, together with a Beech Power delegation studying the unfolding beech dieback in Eastern Germany (photo: P. Ibisch)