Record snowfall, extreme drought and the hottest June in the history: weather extremes once again shaped the forest year 2019 in Austria. "Climate change does not give us a breath. One year of weather extremes follows on to the next, "states Rudolf Freidhager, board member of the Austrian Federal Forests (ÖBf). "After exceptionally large amounts of snow at the beginning of the year, accompanied by a strong snow break, followed by above-average dry months and finally the warmest June since the beginning of the measurement. The low-precipitation summer months favor the bark beetle, which has again led to high beetle rates, especially in the locations north of the Danube. "
Accordingly, the provisional forest balance for 2019 is out: around 80% of the total annual amount of around 1.4 million m3 is damaged wood, which represents an increase of 21% compared to the previous year (2018: 66%). Much of it comes from storm damage and snow falls.
