Timber industry pushes back against call to leave forest wild

The German Timber Industry Association has warned against leaving large areas of forest in the country unmanaged.

“From various quarters, there has been increasing argument lately that the trees should grow much older,” association president Johannes Schwörer said. However, in reality, they would quickly become susceptible to diseases and less stable, he said.

According to Schwörer, “it is not enough to plant and let the forest rejuvenate itself. You also have to thin it out and, for example, engage in wildlife conservation.”

The problem, he told dpa, is that bark beetles and other pests can cause more harm to the forest if it is not maintained and if work is not carried out in the forest. “Unfortunately, this is being criminally neglected in current discussions about the forest.”

The environmental organization BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) calls for at least 10% of the area in public forests to be left unmanaged. High demand for wood and pollutants threaten the forests, and this impacts biodiversity, it says.

It argues that forests that grow without human intervention provide crucial habitats for endangered animals, plants, and fungi.

The German Timber Industry Association says that it is better for the climate to process wood and use it as a product, effectively storing carbon for the long term.