The State Forests (Lasy Państwowe) are assessing the extensive damage caused by recent floods, which have inundated over 20,000 hectares of forests across several regions in Poland. Preliminary data shows that 9,115 hectares in the Wrocław Regional Directorate have been flooded, alongside 6,000 hectares in Katowice, 5,100 hectares in Zielona Góra, and 330 hectares in Poznań.
In a statement, forest managers explained that the floods severely damaged infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and retention systems. These facilities, vital to both foresters and local communities, have suffered extensive destruction.
Witold Koss, General Director of the State Forests, noted that the extent of damage to trees depends on how long the water remains and which species were affected. While species like alder can tolerate flooding, others, such as pines, oaks, and beeches, may not survive prolonged submersion. Dead trees will need to be removed and replaced with new plantings.
Foresters have been adapting their reforestation strategies for decades, planting species that are more resilient to extreme weather. In the heavily affected Lower Silesia region, forest rebuilding has been ongoing for years, with a focus on restoring mixed forests that are better suited to the area’s natural habitat.
Despite ongoing efforts to mitigate flood damage through the construction of nearly 400 water retention devices in the Wrocław region, the recent deluge—equivalent to six months’ worth of rainfall in just three days—overwhelmed all defenses.