How this German Region Is Responding to Forest Dieback

The Harz Mountains in Germany – a popular tourist region and once a green paradise. Today, a symbol of change with forest dieback caused by bark beetles, drought and the climate crisis. Is it still worth a visit? We take you on a journey through a region in transition.

00:00 Intro
00:42 Wernigerode
01:15 Where the Harz is located
01:40 Riding the Brockenbahn, a narrow gauge railway
02:25 What to see in the Harz: Hexentanzplatz, Rappbode Dam, Goslar
03:44 Arriving at the Brocken summit
05:07 Meeting Roland Pietsch, Director of the Harz National Park
08:29 The Brockenhaus museum
09:13 Guided tour through the forest with par ranger Robby Meißner
13:41 Hiking through the Ilse valley

Report: Lukas Stege, Kerstin Schmidt
Camera: Holm Weber
Editing: Klaus Hellmig
Supervising editor: Christina Deicke
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Welcome to the Harz, one of
Germany’s favorite getaway spots. Known for half-timbered towns,
palaces, castles and plenty of myths. And of course, stunning nature and rich forests. Actually – but look at this! Man, that’s rough. In recent years, the forests here
have suffered greatly, with many trees dying due to climate
change, drought and pests, such as bark beetles. But tourists still flock to the Harz. I will show you what you can see
here, plus some really smart ideas to save the forest. We start our journey in the town of Wernigerode. It’s known for its castle on the
mountain, its historic town hall and the Old Town with its many
colorful half-timbered houses. Wernigerode is also called
“the colorful town in the Harz.” The forest dieback hasn’t seemed
to dissuade tourists from visiting. Witches are popular souvenirs here. According to legend, they meet
in the Harz Mountains to dance. Wernigerode is a good starting point for exploring the Harz Mountains. This low mountain range is
located between Hanover and Berlin. Other well-known towns besides Wernigerode include Goslar and Nordhausen. The National Park covers about 10% of the Harz region and has massively been affected by forest dieback. In the middle of the park is the Brocken mountain, which we will visit. The historic steam locomotives are a tourist attraction in the Harz Mountains. You shouldn’t miss them. This is the narrow-gauge railway. It goes up to the highest peak here in the Harz, the Brocken, right in the National Park. Let’s go. A trip on this steam-powered
train is quite an experience. It’s not exactly cheap: a round-trip ticket costs 43 euros. And tickets can sell out quickly in peak season, so buy them online in advance. The trip up to the summit of the
Brocken takes just under 2 hours. So there is plenty of time
for me to tell you some facts. Here is a crash course on the Harz Mountains. The Harz Mountains are a hikers
paradise, known for their dense, dark, almost fairy-tale-like spruce forests. Maybe that’s why so many legends are set here. One takes place on this mountain plateau: witches is are said to meet with the devil here, which is why the place is also called “Hexantanzplatz” or witches’ dancing area. You can hike up or take the cable car. The Rappbode Dam is the place
to be for all adrenaline junkies. Attractions include the 483 meter-long suspension bridge and the mega zipline. Goslar, a medieval gem, is one of the most beautiful
towns in the Harz Mountains. Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Rammelsberg mine is another UNESCO site. Or and silver were mined in the Harz
Mountains as early as 1,000 years ago. This required an enormous amount of wood. Beech, lime, and oak trees were cut down and replaced by fast-growing spruce trees. So the mystical spruce forests are
in fact a centuries old monoculture that has now become the Harz Mountains undoing. The train has now covered a considerable distance. At first, it passed through lush green forests. But the higher we climb, the more eerie it becomes. We’re basically passing through a dead landscape. Sometimes it looks like in an apocalyptic movie. The dead forest is also called the “silver forest”. There are a few green trees here and there, but the extent of the forest dieback is truly frightening. The summit is coming into view. We’ll be there soon. On the summit of the Brocken, there is a weather station, a radio and television transmission tower, but there is also a hotel, a restaurant and, of course, the summit stone. Anyone who has biked or hiked
for two or three hours to get here has earned a photo to commemorate their achievement. But does that also apply to those
who have traveled here by train? I’d say taking a picture at
the summit is a must, regardless! The Harz Mountains aren’t
very high, just a low mountain range. But the weather here can be wild. The Broken is known for strong winds and storms. Due to the harsh climate the
tree line up here is at 1,100 meters, which means the Brocken’s bare summit is not the result of forest dieback. I’m meeting Roland Pietsch,
director of the Harz National Park. Roland tells me millions of spruce
trees have died – about 80% of all trees in the national park. A disaster! But there is hope. A new natural mixed forest
is growing among the dead wood. Humans are intervening as little as possible. After all, that’s the purpose of a national park: to let nature do its thing. I ask some tourists. While you’re up here, you should
also visit the Brockenhaus museum, which tells the story of the division of Germany, among other things. GDR border guards were stationed
on the Brocken because the border separating East and West
Germany ran below the summit. The Brocken had been a
restricted military area since 1961 and was closed to visitors. The Stasi hit a radio monitoring station under this dome. It had a range of more than 500 kilometers, reaching as far as the US
base in Ramstein in West Germany. Fortunately, the Cold War has been over for 34 years. You also have a great view from the Brockenhaus. That’s it for me up here. We’ll continue down in the valley. I have an appointment with a ranger from the national park. Robbie has been working with the national park team for more than 30 years. He offers regular guided tours
through the old and new forests. You can join one of these tours, they are full of surprises. I expected to see endless rows
of dead trees, but instead I found meadows full of colorful flowers. In addition to colorful meadows, there’s lots of dead wood, so-called tree corpses. It takes years for a dead tree to decompose completely. Until then, it’s a perfect breeding ground for new life. It is still too early to say whether
and when a large dense forest will grow around the Brocken again. But there are already many new tree species. Our last stop is the Ilse valley, where centuries old beech trees still stand. This is what the forests in the Harz Mountains looked like before they fell victim to the mining industry. Maybe one day they will look like this again. A hiking trail follows the Ilse river, which is steeped in legend. Long ago, a beautiful princess named
Ilse fell deeply in love with a knight. But a jealous witch destroyed their castle. Since then, the river has borne the
princess’s name and its waters still flow around the ruins of the lovers’ lost home. The Harz is worth a trip – not
despite, but because of the changes you can see here right up close. The forests in the Harz Mountains appears to be recovering. However, what happens in the
coming decades will also depend on how severe the effects of climate change will be. And what about where you live? Are there any places facing climate change that are trying to reinvent themselves? Let me know and drop it in the comments.