In Schleswig-Holstein, storms caused massive damage © Schleswig Holsteinische Landesforsen
According to a first approximate estimate, the state forest administration of Brandenburg expects a windthrow volume of 130,000 m³ in the state forests and around 300,000 m³ in non-state forests. In general, the storm felled mostly single and small groups of trees. With 25,000 m³ each, the greatest damage was reported from the state forestry offices in Alt Ruppin and Belzig. In the non-state forest, the Potsdam-Mittelmark area was most affected with 80,000 m³ of damaged wood.
According to an initial assessment, the volume of damaged wood in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is smaller than it was after storms Kyrill (2007: 15 million m³) and Friederike (2018: 2 million m³). In this state, too, little large-area windthrow of all tree species is reported. Most of the damage is recorded in the eastern parts of the regional forest office Kurkölnisches Sauerland. At higher altitudes of the regional forest office Soest-Sauerland and in the Wiehengebirge in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe regional forest office, the storms have also caused massive damage. In the rest of the state, there was minor to moderate damage, according to the Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz in North Rhine-Westphalia.
“The storms which have raged since Thursday left their mark on the forests throughout Lower Saxony. A more precise statement regarding the extent of the damage will be possible on Thursday at the earliest,” Klaus Jännich, Vice President of the Lower Saxony State Forests, explains.
The State Forests of Schleswig-Holstein expect around 60,000 m³ of damaged wood, which corresponds to nearly 30% of the regular logging volume. Reports of moderate damage are coming in from the north of Schleswig-Holstein, while foresters report severe damage in the center and south of the state.
