The sun, up to 26 degrees Celsius – perfect Easter weather? For the eggs, Yes, but not for the Flora search Free. Farmers and foresters say that The floors are dry almost everywhere in Germany.
Dry winds and high temperatures, the risk of forest fires will increase, especially in coniferous forests
Normally, at the end of may blooms also in the North of Thuringia the rape. But the bright yellow boxes you will find there this spring, in vain. In some regions of the country, the winter seed was ploughed again in the spring, reported André Rathgeber from the farmers ‘ Association of Thuringia. The canola plants were poorly developed. Instead of taking the risk of crop failures, have made many a farmer in the area for other crops.
The reason for the lack of growth: The soil is too dry, much too dry, and still. Especially in the deeper soil layers from 60 centimeters this Problem is almost in all of Germany, says Corina Schube, agricultural meteorologist at the German weather service DWD.
Per square meter of 200 to 300 liters of water to little
Although it had rained in the last Winter, normal much. So far 210 liters of rain per square metre fell from December to February in Germany. The long-term average, with 180 litres or even less. But for single regions of Germany, says a average little, Schube. So you have in March in the black forest, in places, 300 litres of rain per square meter measured in Parts of Thuringia, by contrast, just 25 liters.
Blooming rape field in Hamburg (archive image)
Almost everywhere applies: “The rains of winter were not enough to offset the enormous deficit, which has created the extremely hot and dry summer of 2018. We have in the soil per square meter between 200 and 300 litres of water is too little.” Permanently dried-up ground – a Problem that is known primarily from dry regions of the subtropics, but not Germany, certainly not to this extent.
Widespread forest fire danger to Easter
This drought is now also available for the forest is dangerous. Up on the coastal regions and the southwest forest fire danger prevails in the whole of Germany, in the North East, even of “high” to “very high”: alert level four and five.
“A stable high-pressure area brings extremely dry air from the North-East,” said meteorologist Schube. The temperatures are on the rise vigorously in the Rhineland are said 26 degrees Celsius before. The warm Wind suck the moisture positively from the upper soil layers.
Particularly high the brand is woods danger in the coniferous: spruce, fir, pine and Co thrive best on light, well-drained soil that dries out, however, is also the fastest. And the forest still has a Problem: Due to the massive storm damage of recent years, explains Utz Hempfling, the state forest President of Saxony, spent a lot of the dead wood and Foliage in the forests, the burns particularly easily. To forest visitors, and operators of Easter Hempfling calls to fire: “you are Helping to protect our forests!”
Drought instead of rain forecast
In the face of ongoing drought may be at risk of wheat in the Northern part of Thuringia after the rape and now also the winter. Is not rain in the coming weeks is sufficient, threatening crop losses. “The farmers here are hoping for rain, nice persistent rain over several days. A day of rain brings nothing at all,” says Rathgeber from the farmers ‘ Association.
Instead, local heavy rainfall can wash away the fresh seed. They occur in Germany, especially in the summer, in the meantime, more and more often. You predict to be difficult, according to the German weather service. That’s why the DWD put on a new drought forecast: on the calculation of the soil moisture.
Unlike the weather, say up to six weeks in advance to be possible before, because the floor is acting much slower than the atmosphere, said the former DWD Vice President Paul Becker at the presentation of the method at the end of March in Berlin. A dry period is foreseen, could farmers in the moist soil, fertilize in a timely manner or plantation. From 2020, the new Tool should be available on the Internet.
The German farmers ‘ Association welcomes the announcement by the DWD. Better drought forecasting can help businesses, says Secretary-General Bernhard Krüsken: “in the face of the many damages caused by the phenomena of climate change, I would wish for but also ortsgenauere weather forecasts.”
Drought stress, storms and bark beetle
During heavy rain, especially in the agricultural problems, threatening storms, the forest most likely. The trees can keep them as a result of drought stress is less and less, explains Sebastian Schreiber economic Council of the German Forest. The forest form is economically much used spruce in the dry, less tree resin, with the against the bark beetle weirs, bores through the bark.
Clearing after storm damage: In open areas dries up the soil more easily from
Less resin means easier game for the bark beetle. And that means: weakened trees, which wither even faster and when the next storm comes you drop. To larger empty areas in the forest, the moisture escapes faster from the soil, and here the cycle begins again.
The quadrature of the circle
The forest adapt to climate change, plants foresters for years now, more deciduous trees, says Schreiber. “The deep roots help make the soil stable and in the long run, the soil can store the water better than the soil of a pure conifer forests.”
But here, too, it is in view of the increasing soil dryness before the quadrature of the circle: Young trees have short roots, the moisture in the deeper soil layers this approach. In consequence of the newly planted crops wither in the dry, much faster than old trees. 500 million young trees were in the heat of the summer of 2018 dries up, reports Schreiber.
Deciduous trees improve the ability of the soil to store water
In order to make the forest against the impacts of climate change fit, put forestry on the structure-rich forests mixing: “that means that old trees will not be beaten but allowed to stand, as many tree species grow side by side, so that pests (which are mostly specialized on a kind note. d. Red) not destroy the whole forest area and there are always Islands, in which Old and dead wood is left.”
Such primeval-forest-like “Islands” provide a habitat for various animal species, which is also a balance in the forest. It sounds almost paradoxical – for example, climate change contributes to the fact that it is now also in the economic forest: back to nature!