https://apnews.com/article/climate-germany-bark-beetles-harz-spruce-2211332b8e841ad18fc16267bcbec6dc [p] Menu AP Logo Menu * U.S. * World * Politics * Video * Spotlight * Entertainment * Sports * Business * Science * Fact Check * Climate * Health * Photography * Oddities * Tech * Lifestyle * Religion * Press Releases * ... + U.S. + World o Russia-Ukraine War o Latin America o Europe o Africa o Middle East o Asia Pacific o U.S. News o Australia o China + Politics o Joe Biden o Election 2024 o Congress + Video + Spotlight + Entertainment o Movie reviews o Book reviews o Celebrity o Television o Music + Sports o MLB o NFL o NHL o NBA o WNBA o Soccer o Tennis o Golf + Business o Inflation o Financial Markets o Business Highlights o Financial wellness + Science + Fact Check + Climate + Health + Photography + Oddities + Tech o Artificial Intelligence o Social Media + Lifestyle o Gardening o Food o Fashion + Religion + Press Releases [ ] Search Query Submit Search Show Search * U.S. * World + Russia-Ukraine War + Latin America + Europe + Africa + Middle East + Asia Pacific + U.S. News + Australia + China * Politics + Joe Biden + Election 2024 + Congress * Video * Spotlight * Entertainment + Movie reviews + Book reviews + Celebrity + Television + Music * Sports + MLB + NFL + NHL + NBA + WNBA + Soccer + Tennis + Golf * Business + Inflation + Financial Markets + Business Highlights + Financial wellness * Science * Fact Check * Climate * Health * Photography * Oddities * Tech + Artificial Intelligence + Social Media * Lifestyle + Gardening + Food + Fashion * Religion * Press Releases * * [] The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world's population sees AP journalism every day. * + twitter + instagram + facebook * * The Associated Press + ap.org + Careers + Accessibility Statement + Cookie Settings + Terms of Use + Privacy Policy * * More From AP News + About + AP News Values and Principles + AP's Role in Elections + AP Leads + AP Definitive Source Blog + AP Images Spotlight Blog + AP Stylebook * * Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. FILE - Mark Margolis attends the premiere of "Noah" at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 in New York. Margolis, who played murderous former drug kingpin Hector Salamanca in "Breaking Bad" and then in the prequel "Better Call Saul," has died at age 83. 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Biles is returning to competition at the U.S. Classic on Saturday, two years after a bought with "the twisties" forced her to remove herself from several events at the Tokyo Olympics. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) Simone Biles to compete for first time since Tokyo Climate Bark beetles are eating through Germany's Harz forest. Climate change is making matters worse A steam train travels through the Harz mountains where the trees are destroyed by the bark beetle and drought, near Schierke, Germany, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) A steam train travels through the Harz mountains where the trees are destroyed by the bark beetle and drought, near Schierke, Germany, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) By MATTHIAS SCHRADER and DANA BELTAJI Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Share Share * Copy Link copied * Email * Facebook * Twitter * Reddit * Pinterest * Flipboard * Print CLAUSTHAL-ZELLERFELD, Germany (AP) -- Nestled in the spruce trees in the Harz mountains of northern Germany is a bark-eating pest not much bigger than a sesame seed. Known as "book printers" for the lines they eat into the bark that fan out from a single spine resembling words on a page, these eight-toothed beetles have always been part of the local forest. Officials expect the bugs to typically kill a few spruces each summer as they find suitable trees to lay their eggs -- they burrow into the tree's cambium, or growing layer, hampering it from getting the nutrients it needs to survive. But the tiny insects have been causing outsized devastation to the forests in recent years, with officials grappling to get the pests under control before the spruce population is entirely decimated. Two-thirds of the spruce in the region have already been destroyed, said Alexander Ahrenhold from the Lower Saxony state forestry office, and as human-caused climate change makes the region drier and the trees more favorable homes for the beetles' larvae, forest conservationists are preparing for the worst. Ranger Marion Petrik holds spruce bark beetles during a bark beetle monitoring at the Lower-Saxony state forests in a forest of the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. The tiny insects have been causing outsized devastation to the forests in recent years, with officials grappling to get the pests under control before the spruce population is entirely decimated. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Ranger Marion Petrik holds spruce bark beetles during a bark beetle monitoring at the Lower-Saxony state forests in a forest of the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Employees cut a tree infested with bark beetles in a forest of Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Employees cut a tree infested with bark beetles in a forest of Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Burrows created by spruce bark beetles course across the inner side of bark pulled from an infested spruce tree in a forest in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Burrows created by spruce bark beetles course across the inner side of bark pulled from an infested spruce tree in a forest in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) "Since 2018, we've had extremely dry summers and high temperatures, so almost all trees have had problems," said Ahrenhold. Spruce trees in particular need a lot of water so having less of it weakens their defenses, and they're not able to produce their natural tree resin repellent, he said. As the planet warms, longer droughts are becoming more common around the world, with hotter temperatures also drying up moisture in soil and plants. read more from climate and environment Horseshoe crabs spawn at Reeds Beach in Cape May Court House, N.J., Tuesday, June 13, 2023. The biomedical industry is adopting new standards to protect the sea animal that is a linchpin of the production of vital medicines. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Blue blood from horseshoe crabs is needed for medicine, but a declining bird relies on crabs to eat In this image provide by NOAA, the sun shines on coral showing sign of bleaching at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Fla., on July 23, 2023. Scientists have seen devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding Florida -- coral bleaching and some death. (Andrew Ibarra/NOAA via AP) South Florida waters hit hot tub level and may have set world record for warmest seawater Solar panels are mounted on poles above a hops field near Au in der Hallertau, Germany, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Solar panels atop crops has been gaining traction in recent years as incentives and demand for clean energy skyrocket. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Hops for beer flourish under solar panels. They're not the only crop thriving in the shade. And even though the beetles tend to target weakened trees, in dry years the population can reproduce so much "that the beetles were even able to attack healthy spruce in large numbers," he said. "In some regions there are now no more spruces." Experts say there's no easy solution, but forest managers work to remove trees that might be susceptible to beetles as early as possible and use pesticides where they're needed. Spruce bark beetles lie in a trap during bark beetle monitoring by employees of Lower-Saxony state forests, in a forest of the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Spruce bark beetles lie in a trap during bark beetle monitoring by employees of Lower-Saxony state forests, in a forest of the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) A car passes dead trees in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) A car passes dead trees in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Michael Muller, the Chair of Forest Protection at the Technical University in Dresden, said there are "very strict requirements for the use of pesticides" which can be very effective in getting rid of the bugs, although the chemicals are sometimes frowned upon for their potentially harmful environmental side effects. "It's of course preferable to take the raw wood out of the forest and send it for recycling or to store it in non-endangered areas outside the forest," he said, but noted that requires a separate logistical operation. On trees that are still standing, he said, it's not really possible to remove the beetles. Muller added that forest conservation measures can "sometimes take decades from being implemented to taking effect" and other factors, like storms and drought, and other species, such as game and mice that can also hamper plant growth, are potentially more damaging to the forest in the long run than the bark beetle. Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Media officer Michael Rudolph shows burrows created by bark beetles at the inner side of bark pulled from an infested spruce tree in a forest in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Media officer Michael Rudolph shows burrows created by bark beetles at the inner side of bark pulled from an infested spruce tree in a forest in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Forest contractor Heiner Schulte removes a felled tree infested with bark beetles in a forest of Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Forest contractor Heiner Schulte removes a felled tree infested with bark beetles in a forest of Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Spruce trees felled due to infestation by spruce bark beetles lie in the Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Spruce trees felled due to infestation by spruce bark beetles lie in the Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) But he said that conservation efforts are limited by external factors, like the changing climate. "After all, we can't irrigate the forests," he said. In the longer term, mixing other tree species into the forest could be a solution, Ahrenhold said. "It makes sense to plant other conifers that can cope better with these conditions, especially on south-facing slopes and on very dry soil," he said. Having too many spruce trees in the Harz is a result of centuries of planting big concentrations of the tree, according to Richard Holzl, an environmental historian at the Five Continents Museum in Munich. "Clausthal-Zellerfeld is one prime example of a mining area in the Harz where they very early on tried to establish artificial reproduction for spruce to have it for mining construction works," said Holzl. Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Officials realized by the 19th century that planting just one type of tree over and over again wasn't a good idea ecologically, but "the economy countered that realization because spruce was such an attractive species," he said. Spruce was the preferred tree for industrial forestry, paper mills and pulp. Still, without the warmer and drier weather from climate change, the bark beetles wouldn't be flourishing in all that spruce. "There is a long, long prehistory, but there's also the (climatic) change now," said Holzl. "We can't really blame our forefathers for that." Marion Petrik, a forest ranger of Lower-Saxony state forests, checks a trap used to monitor European spruce bark beetles in a forest at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Marion Petrik, a forest ranger of Lower-Saxony state forests, checks a trap used to monitor European spruce bark beetles in a forest at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Dead trees stand in Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Friday, July 28, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Spruce trees felled due to infestation by spruce bark beetles lie in the Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Spruce trees felled due to infestation by spruce bark beetles lie in the Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Spruce trees felled due to infestation by spruce bark beetles lie in the Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) Spruce trees felled due to infestation by spruce bark beetles lie in the Lower-Saxony state forests at the Harz mountains near Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (AP Photo/ Matthias Schrader) ___ This story corrects Richard Holzl's affiliation to the Five Continents Museum in Munich, not the University of Goettingen. ___ Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP's climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. [] The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. 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