Germany is one of Europe’s most forested countries, with over 11 million hectares of woodland, around 33% of its total land area. However, German forests have come under increasing pressure in recent years due to both natural and human causes, intensified forest management, expansion of infrastructure, bark beetle infestations, and extreme weather events linked to climate change.
According to Global Forest Watch, Germany lost 15.8 thousand hectares (kha) of natural forest in 2024, resulting in an estimated 9.91 million metric tons (Mt) of CO₂ emissions.
Located in Southwestern Germany, the forest of Niedererbach features a dense, mixed woodland crisscrossed by forest roads and dotted with wind turbines. At first glance, the area appears stable—but a closer look through high-resolution satellite imagery reveals a different story: a notable increase in deforested patches between 2016 and 2025.
We analyzed two images taken by our very high-resolution (VHR) satellite:
- September 2016: Late in the growing season, with full foliage coverage.
- March 2025: End of winter, when most trees are leafless—posing challenges for initial interpretation.
Despite the seasonal differences, a direct comparison shows new clearings and open patches in the 2025 image that were not present in 2016. These newly deforested areas were manually vectorized for mapping and quantification.
NDVI Analysis. Vegetation in Numbers.
To support the visual comparison, we generated NDVI maps for both dates. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a remote sensing metric that uses red and near-infrared light to estimate vegetation health. Its values typically range as follows:
- +0.6 to +0.9: Dense, healthy vegetation
- 0 to +0.2: Sparse or stressed vegetation, bare soil
- < 0: Water bodies or artificial surfaces
September 2016: High and uniform NDVI. The forest appeared healthy and intact.
March 2025: Overall lower NDVI (expected in winter), but with distinct areas of near-zero NDVI, which align with the newly deforested zones.
Understanding the Drivers and Impacts of Deforestation
The deforestation patches observed in Niedererbach between 2016 and 2025 can likely be attributed to a combination of factors. Several clearings appear near wind turbines and extended road networks, suggesting infrastructure expansion as a contributing cause. In addition, the regular shape and distribution of some patches point to planned logging activities. While it is also possible that climate-related stress or pest outbreaks, such as bark beetle infestations, played a role in forest degradation, further field-based data would be required to confirm these environmental drivers.
Between 2016 and 2025, the forested area in Niedererbach experienced noticeable and measurable loss. High-resolution GEOSAT-2 imagery, supported by NDVI analysis, reveals new deforestation patches that cannot be solely explained by seasonal variation. Although this is a local case, it aligns with broader patterns of forest decline across Germany. The findings highlight the need for continuous satellite-based monitoring and underscore the importance of sustainable forest management to mitigate further loss
Forest Loss in Context, National Trends in Germany
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