Der Spiegel, one of Europe’s largest weekly news magazines, recently published a data journalism piece drawing on ForestPaths research. The article is based on data from the European Forest Disturbance Atlas (EFDA), developed by project partner Technical University of Munich (TUM).

The EFDA is a tool that uses satellite data and artificial intelligence to monitor and understand forest disturbances across Europe. It covers 38 European countries and the period 1985-2023, and was created using the Landsat satellite archive.

The Der Spiegel article looks at the current state of forests in Germany and the considerable decline they have experienced in recent years. Much of this can be attributed to climate change, with prolonged droughts emerging as one of its most damaging effects on forest health.

Spruce forests have been among the most affected by the crisis. Decades of monoculture planting outside their natural range had already left them in a weakened condition, and the extreme droughts of recent years have compounded this, creating conditions in which bark beetle populations have been able to spread. In some regions, this has led to significant forest loss with serious consequences for both ecosystems and local economies. The forestry and timber sector has faced substantial financial losses, while the damage to ecosystems presents challenges that will not be easy to resolve. 

Fortunately, advanced satellite monitoring now gives researchers the tools to track tree health in detail, helping them build a more accurate understanding of how widespread this problem has become.

Germany is moving away from monocultures toward more diverse and resilient forests. However, this is a transformation that might take decades to complete.

Read the full article here.