Climate change threatens historic parks: tree death in Germany!

Climate change threatens historic parks: tree death in Germany!

Historical parks in Germany are increasingly coming under climate stress, which has a negative impact on nature and visitors. Millions of people visit these resorts every year, but they are at risk from rising temperatures and increasing hot days and dry spells. According to a report by the South German newspaper The problems became particularly serious in the years 2017 to 2019, which were analyzed in a study by the TU Berlin on 62 parks in 11 federal states.

Michael Degle, head of tree management at the Bavarian Palace Administration, emphasizes the urgency of natural regeneration and diverse plantings in these valuable facilities. Old trees are particularly affected, as they are often damaged by branch breakage, uprooting and even death. Norbert Kühn, the head of studies at the TU Berlin, warns urgently of a deterioration in tree health. He emphasizes that the damage varies individually and locally, which increases the challenge of maintaining the condition of the parks.

Weather extremes and their consequences

The climatic water balances recorded between 2018 and 2020 show alarming results. Baden-Baden recorded a negative value of 1057.5 mm, while Munich still has a positive value of 260.7 mm. These differences in rainfall have a direct impact on the vitality of the trees in the historic parks. An analysis showed that 59% of the trees now show signs of impairment. 41% of the trees are still vital and hardly affected, 50% show slight to moderate damage and 9% are severely damaged or dead.

The damage varies greatly depending on the system. Parks such as Liebenstein, Wiesbaden and Jenischpark in Hamburg are particularly badly affected, where 90-100% of the trees are damaged. In contrast, parks like Pillnitz or Stuttgart's Schlossgarten only show damage of 5-25%. The study also reveals an interesting observation: foreign oak species show greater resilience, while native species are more severely damaged.

Securing the future of the parks

The need for adaptation to climatic conditions is becoming increasingly obvious. Gardeners in Rosenau Park near Coburg report an increased need for water and the urgent need to create water reservoirs to supply the trees. In addition, parks like Branitzer Park in Cottbus are already showing clear symptoms of tree stress, such as thinning crowns and bark damage.

In order to counteract future challenges, the meeting of the New Branitz Tree University, which breeds climate-resistant trees, is being supported. In total, it is supported with around ten million euros from the federal government, the state of Brandenburg and the EU. These measures are extremely important because historical parks are not only a place for recreation for the population, but also make an important contribution to CO2 absorption, provide shade and promote biological diversity.