From January 2018 to March this year, 114,000 hectares (281,700 acres), or about 1% of Germany's forested area, were damaged from storms and bark beetles, which thrive during periods of dry weather.
Read more: German forest fire risk spikes amid high temperatures, drought
Reforesting the lost area could take years, the government said in response to a parliamentary inquiry from the opposition Free Democratic Party (FDP) that was published Friday in the daily Rheinische Post.
According to forecasts, 2019 may bring further warm and dry weather. Pine forests are particularly susceptible to bark beetle infestation during droughts.
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Germans and the forest
The Germans' relationship to the forest is a long-standing love affair. Not only are the woods a dominant theme in German art and literature — appearing in the works of Goethe and Caspar David Friedrich alike — the forest also holds a special place in the hearts of many Germans. That adoration for the woods has filtered into the language: "Wald," pops up in numerous German phrases.
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Holz in den Wald tragen
There are a number of German idioms and proverbs that make use of the word forest. "Holz in den Wald tragen" — literally, to carry wood into the forest, is to do something pointless. You could compare it with the English phrases to "carry coals to Newcastle" or "bring owls to Athens," which also mean to undertake a task that is redundant.
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht sehen
The German equivalent of the idiom "can't see the forest for the trees" portrays the idea that someone is so concerned with the details of something that they fail to grasp the situation as a whole. Sometimes being too preoccupied with the smaller things can mean missing the bigger picture. The expression first became popular in German thanks to the works of poet Christoph Martin Wieland.
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Pfeifen im Walde
Translated word for word, "pfeifen im Walde" means whistling in the forest. The English phrase "whistling in the dark" is not so different. Both mean to try and stay brave or convince yourself that everything is alright in a bad situation. The forest is often presented as mysterious, concealing something sinister, for example, in fairytales like "Hansel and Gretel" recorded by the Brothers Grimm.
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Ich glaub', ich steh' im Wald
In English you might have once said something along the lines of "Well, I never!" or "Blow me down!" The same idea lies behind this German exclamation. The direct translation of "Ich glaub', ich steh' im Wald" is "I think I'm standing in the woods." It is a colloquial form of expressing astonishment. Why not try it out next time you're feeling surprised?
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus
This saying reflects the idea that "what goes around, comes around." It literally translates as: The way you shout into the forest, the way it echoes back out. If you treat someone badly, you'll eventually be treated badly yourself. Many German proverbs stem from a time when everyday life involved hunting in the woods. Folk wisdom was passed on using relatable experiences like an echo in a forest.
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Sich wie die Axt im Walde benehmen
In German if someone is acting like an axe in a forest, they are behaving like a bull in a China shop. Both expressions describe rough, boorish or destructive behavior. The German colloquialism conjures an image of an axe being wielded in a forest destroying surrounding trees, whereas "to behave like a bull in a China shop" evokes pictures similar to the one above — but the sentiment is the same.
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Don't be alone in the woods: German forest idioms
Es herrscht Schweigen im Walde
Directly translated as "there is silence in the forest," the colloquial German term describes a situation in which no one dares to say anything out of embarrassment or fear. The best idiomatic English equivalent is perhaps the informal phrase "the cat's got their tongue."
Author: Tessa Livesey
Forestry industry takes a hit
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture estimates the damage in 2018 and 2019 will cost the forestry industry €2.5 billion ($2.8 billion).
The ministry has made €25 million euros available for reforestation over five years. However, the forestry industry and owners are demanding nearly a half-billion euros in emergency aid.
Read more: Climate change: Millions of hectares of tropical forest destroyed in 2018
FDP parliamentarian Karlheinz Busen called the damage to trees "a catastrophe for forestry," and the government's planned budget to deal with the problem a drop in a bucket.
The lawmaker from the business-friendly FDP called for tax relief for the forestry industry so that it could invest in machines and speed up the recovery of forests.
Forests cover nearly a third of Germany, one of the highest rates in Europe.
cw/sms (dpa, Rheinische Post)
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