Beetles are turning German forests into Ecological Graveyards

As per reports, German forests which have been treasured for a long time now and now are in distress as beetles are ravaging its forests converting woodlands into the environmental graveyard and deadwood zones. The extent of damage has been so much that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government instituted a national forest summit on September 25. 

READ: Video Game Makers Take Green Pledge At New UN Climate Change Summit

The beetles attack tree's nutrient paths

According to reports, several areas of Germany like Welzow forest, which is 100 kilometres south of the German capital Berlin, have now become vegetative skeletons, marked by tunnels formed by small beetles. Reportedly, Arne Barkhausen said that insect eats the trunk and lay eggs inside. The eggs hatch and the larvae feed on the trunk and block the nutrient pathways, causing the tree to die in a month. The insect eats the bark of the tree and lays eggs inside.

It has been described as one of the worst forest crisis since the acid rain in 1980s shooting to the top of the German political agenda on the heels of recent climate change protests. Being on the top of the political agenda, it values that the forests are not only water filters but also natural carbon sinks. 

READ: Donald Trump Mocks Climate Change Activist Greta Thunberg In A Tweet

Experts: Beetles creating a problem for 200 years

As per reports, Germany has 90 billion trees and about 1.1 million people work in a forest-related sector which is more than the automotive industry. Experts remark that there is no easy solution to fix bark beetles' destruction because global warming cannot be controlled by any one nation. Beetles have been around for 200 years and an expert from Wuerzburg University, reportedly said that current crisis began with a strong winter storm and extended period of droughts after that. Beetles benefit from global warming because many of them live longer to survive mild winters and they appear earlier in the year breeding up to four generations per year.

READ: 'Animal Vaccinations To Save 50 Crore Animals,' Says PM Modi In Nashik

Farming practices need change

Reportedly, drought-affected trees have gotten too weak to produce enough sap that capture the bugs in their tracks or repel them using natural insecticidal chemicals, said Derk Ehlert who is the head of wildlife in Berlin. Dr.Elhert said that they have trouble coping with it and they cannot use chemicals and when the animal is already in the tree it sticks there. He further said that they (Experts) try to support enemies of bark beetles in the wild, notably wasps who eat beetle's eggs and larvae.

But beetles were not the only problem, reportedly, forests which look similar to tree farms where a single species planted in neat rows is one of the problems. Environment minister Svenja Schulze has said that new funds mustn't be used to plant heat-prone forests but stronger and neutral mixed woodlands.  She further added that they now have the opportunity to start an era of forest conversion that ensures climate stable and natural mixed forests. The Agriculture Minister has promised 800 million euros or about $880 million in federal or state funds for four years to restore 180,000  hectares of forest affected by droughts and pests accompanied by storms and fires even though the main issue remains bark beetle which affects dry trees. 

READ: Russia Grants Cosmonauts Guns To Fend Off Animals On Landing

READ: UN: Climate Change A Concern For Pope Francis As He Addresses Leaders