Saarland forest health worsens as beech decline and wildfires mark 2026 report

Share of damaged trees nears half

On Tuesday, 3 November, Environment Minister Petra Berg (SPD) and Thomas Steinmetz, director of the state forestry body SaarForst, presented the Waldzustandsbericht 2026 for Saarland. The 65-page report finds that the share of clearly damaged trees rose by 4.6 percentage points to just under 50%. The share of trees without visible damage fell by 4.3 percentage points to 13%, so only that fraction of the stand is considered healthy. Saarland is one of Germany's most wooded states, with about 93,000 hectares of forest covering roughly 36% of its land area. The annual report has been published since 1984.

Heat and drought take their toll

Berg linked the decline to the weather of the past year, naming a sequence of hot and dry months. She described the conditions in these words.

“An above-average warm spring, especially an intense heatwave in June, and the warmest summer since records began with too little precipitation led to dried-out soils and stressed vegetation.”

According to the report, emptied water reserves in the forest soil and weakened trees have raised the risk of wildfires. The soils dried out during the hot summer, and the report describes the overall situation in the forest as strained.

Wildfires and a weakened forest

By the end of August there had already been more than 185 forest and vegetation fires in the state, most of them caused by negligent human behaviour. The largest blaze in decades covered 18 hectares near Illingen. Steinmetz was blunt about the trend in the fire figures.

“I really consider that a dramatic development.”

Beech decline, oak and spruce recovery

Beech, the most common main tree species in Saarland, fared worst, with its crowns the thinnest since surveys began. Maple and birch recorded new highs in damage, including brown leaves that in some cases dropped during the summer. Oak and spruce were the only species whose crown condition improved. Steinmetz pointed to the oak in particular.

“The oak looks better than last year and apparently has not suffered from the drought as much as the beech.”

Bark beetle infestation on spruce continues to decline, yet the spruce share has fallen from 11% to 7% since 2018, a loss of about 700 hectares. The jewel beetle, which feeds heavily on oaks, is also causing dieback in oaks that were otherwise very vital.

201811%

20267%

2018

11 %

2026

7 %

Data from the article text

Replanting and what comes next

Authorities are relying on wildfire prevention, reforestation and water retention measures to keep the forest resilient and fit for the future. SaarForst plans to plant more than 100,000 young trees and other plants in the current planting season. A further 55,000 trees are being subsidised for private and municipal forests.