Bark beetles are becoming a problem again

The golf season is just about to start, and the first warning message is already coming: the bark beetle is already making itself felt. In parts of Upper Franconia there is already an extremely high risk of bark beetle infestation. In the districts of Kulmbach and Kronach in Bavaria, for example, the warning level has already been raised to red, the second highest of three risk levels.
Michael Schmidt, head of the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry, expressed his concern to the Bavarian radio station , pointing out that the past two summers of extreme drought and heat had led to a mass increase in spruce bark beetles. “The situation is catastrophic. We are entering the third bark beetle year in a row.”
While the bark beetle plague has primarily occupied forest owners in recent years, it has also increasingly become a problem for golf courses with a high forest cover,, since a high level of pest infestation can also lead to trees on the course breaking off and falling over more quickly. In particular, the conifers on numerous golf courses were so severely weakened that numerous specimens felled and had to be replaced. A trend that will apparently continue this year. This is another reason why some golf courses are already experimenting with tree species that are less susceptible to the heat and pests when replanting.

Anyone who wants to find out more about this topic, which also affects the question of replanting and safety issues on golf courses, can do so, for example , in this article from Golfmanager Online and Greenkeeper Online. One thing is certain: due to climate change , the bark beetle will remain a permanent issue on golf courses in German-speaking countries.