On August 28 local time, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe issued a press statement stating that the ongoing severe drought in Europe and North America, along with record-breaking summer temperatures, are exacerbating the pressure on forest ecosystems. According to data from European drought monitoring stations, 50% of the EU and UK territories are currently in drought conditions (at observation, warning, or alert levels), and the extreme lack of precipitation has severely affected soil moisture and forest health.
The communiqué states that a combination of crises, including persistent drought, heat stress, fire risks, and secondary disturbances such as severe bark beetle infestations and plant diseases, is leading to unprecedented forest decline in European forests.
The communique states that in Central and Western Europe, historic precipitation shortages have caused widespread defoliation of tree crowns and damage to forest canopies (some regions have experienced the longest and most persistent years of precipitation shortages in over sixty years). This situation is consistent with the baseline data presented in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s “Forest Resources Situation 2025,” which indicates that historically, insects, diseases, and meteorological disasters have affected up to 73 million hectares of forests in this region.
The communique states that the tree populations in cities in these regions are facing extreme urban heat island effects and shortages of water resources, which pose threats to the city's climate resilience, air quality, and public health.
