Even though rain has returned to some parts of Europe, the severe heat and drought this summer will kill many trees over the next two or three years
Dead spruce in Harz National Park, Germany, in 2019, one year after a drought
Swen Pfortner/dpa picture alliance/Alamy
The severe heat and drought in Europe this summer will lead to a massive wave of tree deaths over the next two or three years even if there is enough rainfall to bring the drought to an end, experts are warning.
“Not only next year, but also in the following two to three years we will see a cascade of tree mortality,” says Jan-Peter George at Tartu Observatory in Estonia.
Numerous studies around the world are showing …