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TWO-THIRDS of Europe’s trees are sickly, according to the latest European
Commission report.

“This is serious,” says François Kremer of the European Commission
forestry division. Only 36 per cent of all broadleaf and conifer trees in Europe
are healthy, says the report, released this month by the European Commission and
the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. These trees are shedding no
more than the average amount of leaves and needles each year. However, one in
five show signs of damage, having lost at least a quarter of their leaf canopy.
The rest are visibly dropping more leaves than usual, and have been placed on a
“warning list”.

Trees that live in the Mediterranean appear to be the hardest hit. “The
causes are multiple and complex,” says Kremer. Air pollution, climate change and
soil degradation are just some of the problems that are facing Europe’s trees,
he says. “Further reduction of emissions is really needed.”

The commission looked at about 129,000 trees from forests in 30 different
countries. Forestry experts examined trees in the summer to estimate how many
leaves were left on the branches. In more detailed studies on 15 per cent of the
plots they found low levels of soil nutrients in a third. About half the trees
were exposed to excessive nitrogen compounds from air pollution.