Impacts on and damage to European forests from the 2018–2022 heat and drought events

Drought and heat events in Europe are becoming
increasingly frequent due to human-induced climate change,
impacting both human well-being and ecosystem function-
ing. The intensity and effects of these events vary across the
continent, making it crucial for decision-makers to under-
stand spatial variability in drought impacts. Data on drought-
related damage are currently dispersed across scientific pub-
lications, government reports, and media outlets. This study
consolidates data on drought and heat damage in European
forests from 2018 to 2022, using Europe-wide datasets in-
cluding those related to crown defoliation, insect damage,
burnt forest areas, and tree cover loss. The data, covering
16 European countries, were analysed across four regions,
northern, central, Alpine, and southern, and compared with a
reference period from 2010 to 2014.
Findings reveal that forests in all zones experienced re-
duced vitality due to drought and elevated temperatures, with
varying severity. Central Europe showed the highest vulner-
ability, impacting both coniferous and deciduous trees. The
southern zone, while affected by tree cover loss, demon-
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strated greater resilience, likely due to historical drought ex-
posure. The northern zone is experiencing emerging impacts
less severely, possibly due to site-adapted boreal species,
while the Alpine zone showed minimal impact, suggesting
a protective effect of altitude.
Key trends include (1) significant tree cover loss in the
northern, central, and southern zones; (2) high damage lev-
els despite 2021 being an average year, indicating lasting ef-
fects from previous years; (3) notable challenges in the cen-
tral zone and in Sweden due to bark beetle infestations; and
(4) no increase in wildfire severity in southern Europe despite
ongoing challenges.
Based on this assessment, we conclude that (i) European
forests are highly vulnerable to drought and heat, with even
resilient ecosystems at risk of severe damage; (ii) tailored
strategies are essential to mitigate climate change impacts on
European forests, incorporating regional differences in for-
est damage and resilience; and (iii) effective management re-
quires harmonised data collection and enhanced monitoring
to address future challenges comprehensively.