Gefle Dagblad writes that a park outside the Westergrenska Foundation has lost the majority of its 150-year-old spruce trees due to infestation by the spruce bark beetle, which is becoming more common due to climate change. The Swedish Forest Agency sees a link between the increase in spruce bark beetle and hot, dry summers that make spruces weaker and more susceptible to attack.
- Before the hot summer of 2018, we had some major outbreaks but nothing like now. From 1960 to 2017, ten million cubic metres of spruce trees died from the spruce bark beetle in Sweden. From 2018 to 2022, about 30 million cubic metres have died. We have had enormous amounts of damage," says Kerstin Ström at The Forestry Commission.
To protect the trees from the spruce bark beetle, the spruces need to be healthy, on the right soil and have good contact with the roots. When Gävle municipality plants new trees, they aim for a mixed stand, which makes the areas less susceptible to diseases and pests.
According to park engineer Mia Zakrisson, the municipality has a policy of not cutting down trees unnecessarily, but only when really needed. Despite the felling of the spruce trees, the municipality is not planning any major felling of spruce trees in the future. Trees evoke emotions among people, with some wanting to keep them while others want to take them down because of leaves, cones and branches or lack of light.
