Bark beetles are eating through Germany’s Harz forest. Climate change is making matters worse

By MATTHIAS SCHRADER and DANA BELTAJI
Associated Press

CLAUSTHAL-ZELLERFELD, Germany (AP) — Tiny bark beetles have been causing havoc in Germany’s Harz mountains, eating away at trees and killing off swaths of the spruce population by hampering their ability to take in nutrients. Drought — made longer and more intense by climate change — is making the problem even worse, as beetles prefer the trees weakened by a lack of water and reproduce better in the warm and dry conditions. Forest conservationists know they have a problem, but there are no easy solutions. A mixture of good planning, chemical pesticides and a longer- term effort to plant different trees in the region are strategies to keep the beetles at bay. But with the climate warming up, it’s unclear if conservationists will win their battle against the bugs.