Bernd Weißbrod’s Photography Captures the Anticipation of Rainy Spring Days

Dry summers and hardly any snow in winter have caused the groundwater in Bavaria to drop to an extremely low level. “Such low groundwater levels have not been measured in Bavaria in mid-March,” said the State Office for the Environment (LfU) in Augsburg.

Farmers and forest owners are worried and hope for the coming weeks. If there was enough precipitation in the spring, a dry summer would no longer be so dramatic, said a spokesman for the State Institute for Forestry and Forestry (LWF), which had invited to a congress in Würzburg.

Several dry periods

The forests of the Free State have experienced several severe dry periods in recent summers, especially in northern Bavaria. As a result, many trees have died or become diseased. According to the LWF, spruce and beech are particularly affected. “The conversion to a more climate-resistant forest must therefore be accelerated,” says LWF spokesman Schmechel.

Experts see the cause of the low water in the weather in recent years. There was an accumulation of dry years, namely in the years 2015, 2018 to 2020 and 2022. And it doesn’t get any better: “The previous winter half-year has been too dry, too warm and too little snow,” reported an LfU spokeswoman. »Several weeks of heavy rainfall, at best in the spring, would lead to relaxation in the current year, even if the deficit of previous years cannot be compensated.«

Difficult situation

According to LfU information, around two-thirds of new groundwater is formed during the winter months, when the plants hardly draw any water from the soil due to the low level of evaporation. The current rainfall is therefore important. The situation has improved, especially in northern Bavaria, for example in the groundwater reserves along the watercourses. In large parts of southern Bavaria, on the other hand, the situation is considered difficult. The authority explained that heavy rainfall lasting several weeks would be needed here for the groundwater resources to fill up significantly.

The consequences of climate change were also a topic at the conference in Würzburg, which was attended by representatives from forestry and agriculture as well as specialists from research, administration and politics. There were insights into a self-help facility for forest owners.

V. KÖNEKE & C. DIECKMANN

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