Climate crisis in the Black Forest: Deer endanger the forest and our climate!

Climate crisis in the Black Forest: Deer endanger the forest and our climate!

In the deep forests of the Black Forest, more precisely in the deer sanctuary at Schluchsee, the signs are pointing to the alarm. The condition of the trees is worrying; many are severely damaged and offspring hardly grow back. Spruce trees in particular, which are not long-lived in the current climate crisis, are having a hard time. Hoofed game, especially deer, roe deer and wild boar, are responsible for this predicament. A new MDR-Wissen reports that the shooting of deer in Germany has increased from 632,000 since 1970 to an impressive 1,286,000 in 2020.

This high density of game means that the regrowth of trees is severely inhibited. Even if fencing and protective covers for young trees could theoretically help, these measures are often too expensive. According to the Ecological Hunting Association, the costs of reforestation with conventional hunting leases amount to over 17,000 euros per hectare. However, if you manage game density successfully and take advantage of natural regeneration, these costs drop to just 2,000 euros per hectare.

Forest area in danger

In North Rhine-Westphalia, 350,000 hectares of forest area have already been affected, and the estimated financial costs for forest owners amount to around 1.5 billion euros. In order to counteract the decline, natural regeneration is absolutely necessary, but this is only possible with adapted wild populations. In Bavaria, the hunting law requires that hunting should enable natural regeneration without additional protective measures. However, a look at current forestry reports shows alarming figures: only 4% of the areas examined have a favorable level of browsing.

What is particularly problematic is that over 50% of the desired mixed tree species are eaten out of the regrowing mix of tree species. This circumstance contradicts the goals of sustainable forestry, which urgently relies on mixed and deciduous forests. Mixed forests are not only more resilient to climate change, they also offer a variety of ecosystem services - from groundwater recharge to carbon storage.

The role of hunting practice

An interesting approach to improve the situation is to change the hunting practice itself. Suggestions for optimization include, among other things, reviewing and adapting hunting regulations by the federal states, reducing feeding practices and carrying out effective mobile hunts in winter. These mobile hunts could help to adjust game populations without affecting population size.

Another focus is on the motivation of hunters to change their practices according to the requirements of forest regeneration. A doctoral project at the Brandenburg Technical University could provide important insights into this. It examines what measures are necessary to motivate hunters and how different hunting practices have a long-term impact on forest development. Particular attention is paid to the economic aspects in order to assess the benefits of sustainable hunting for both forestry and ecosystems. This doctoral scholarship runs until September 2027 and could provide valuable impetus for future changes in forest management that will benefit both forests and climate protection.

The situation is serious, and a simple “business as usual” will not help if we want to preserve our forests and with them valuable CO2 stores. The time to act is now!