“The forest party is the best.

The forest grows even without them.” Oh, if only it were as simple as Wilhelm Busch once described the green world of foresters.

In fact, they are facing the greatest challenge since the word "forest dying" found its way into the German language 40 years ago.

Even city dwellers who are sometimes far from nature notice on an excursion into nature and landscape that many areas are bare and many spruce trees are dead.

The spruce, which was considered the "bread tree of forestry" because of its growth and versatility, no longer has a future.

The forest does not help itself

It has nothing to counteract the frequent storms, the drought and the onslaught of the bark beetles.

The consequences for the economy of forestry operations have so far been difficult to assess in all facets.

But they will be serious.

It appears that the pace of climate change is overstraining the forests' ability to adapt.

Simply sitting back and naively believing that the forest will help itself if given just a few centuries is not an option in a world that depends on the forest's welfare effects.

Uncontrolled forest development may still be possible in the core zones of certain protected areas.

But it cannot be the goal of forest owners.

Even according to the Wiesbaden Ministry of the Environment, the state of the forest in large parts of Hesse is worse than ever.

More research needs to be done and more needs to be planted.

Species richness and stability are closely related.

Trial and error is allowed

According to initial findings, mixed forests planted by humans are more productive than others.

It is a naïve belief that the climate-stable mixed forest of the future will develop by itself in a country where the dominant beech makes it difficult for other tree species to compete for water, light and nutrients.

It is important to find the most suitable trees for the respective locations.

The fact that the foresters have to play "poker" in the hope of finding the right "hand" is a risk that forest research must minimize as quickly as possible.

Well-founded knowledge is required for the choice of trees that can withstand climate change.

Until they are available, the principle of trial and error applies in the forest.