'Part of German soul' under threat as forests die

Action plan to be drawn up as dry summers, storms and pests destroy swathes of woodland

A catastrophic combination of heat, drought, storms, forest fires, beetle plagues and a fungi blight have so far this year destroyed swathes of German forest equivalent to more than 200,000 football fields.

Forests are one of the most efficient ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and in Germany alone they are able to absorb 62 million tonnes of CO₂ - about 7% of the country's emissions - every year.