Forest dieback

Jizera Mountains in Central Europe in 2006
Tree dieback because of persistent drought in the Saxonian Vogtland in 2020

Forest dieback (also "Waldsterben", a German loan word, pronounced [ˈvaltˌʃtɛʁbn̩] ⓘ) is a condition in trees or woody plants in which peripheral parts are killed, either by pathogens, parasites or conditions like acid rain, drought, and more.

These episodes can have disastrous consequences such as reduced resiliency of the ecosystem, disappearing important symbiotic relationships and thresholds. Some tipping points for major climate change forecast in the next century are directly related to forest diebacks.

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