East Tyrol plants 6.5 million trees after forest damage

East Tyrol planted 6.5 million trees between 2020 and 2025 as it restores forests damaged by windthrow, heavy snow and bark beetles, ORF reported.

In Lienz district, the damage produced 5.5 million cubic metres of salvage timber and affected about 13,000 hectares of forest. That is roughly a fifth of all forest in East Tyrol, or an area equal to the combined territory of Virgen, Lienz and Amlach.

Reforestation is continuing alongside the removal of damaged timber and care of young plantations. About 1.06 million trees were planted each year on average from 2020 to 2025, mostly from the province’s own forest nursery. The goal, according to the provincial government, is not simply to restore greenery quickly, but to establish mixed forests suited to local conditions and better able to withstand climate change.

Forestry grants across East Tyrol have totalled 38 million euros since 2019. In Oberlienz, about 2.1 million euros has been paid out over that period, with 40 percent coming from the federal Forest Fund.

The provincial government says forests in East Tyrol are critical infrastructure that helps protect settlements, transport routes and the region’s living and economic environment. One example is the forest in the Daberbach stream catchment in Oberlienz. Forestry Minister Norbert Totschnig recently visited the district, where he grew up.