Institut für Waldschutz
Climate change poses major challenges for forests in Germany. In order to better understand the increasing influence of drought stress, storms and pest infestation on our forests, information on damage that has occurred and infestation by harmful insects and diseases is essential. To date, there is no standardized nationwide recording system for forest damage, which represents a scientific gap and makes coordination between the federal states more difficult. The “NEWsWm” project was initiated to close this gap. The project aims to establish a national forest damage reporting system in Germany and thus create the basis for the development of scientifically sound strategies for dealing with forest damage. It integrates the heterogeneous reporting systems of the federal states into a central database that records and documents biotic and abiotic damage factors in the forest. In addition, a web application is being developed that visualizes the data and facilitates temporal and local analyses. By harmonizing the data across the various sources, causes of damage such as pests, diseases or climate-related extreme events can then be analysed at a national level. The information obtained supports risk and crisis management in the forest and provides a sound basis for sustainable silvicultural decisions, particularly in the context of climate change. The project also promotes cooperation between the federal and state governments and integration into European forest protection systems.
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity
