The freezing temperatures during the night from Monday to Tuesday (April 22 to 23, 2024) caused severe frost damage to the Forest Park Tharandt. Although the lowest temperature was only -3° Celsius - not unusual for April - the rhododendron and azalea flowers, which were already in full bloom, numerous tree and shrub species and even the enchanting blossom of the Carolina snowdrop froze to death.

"I have never experienced such severe damage in my almost 30 years of service," says Dr. Ulrich Pietzarka, Curator of the Forest Park Tharandt. More problematic than the loss of flowers, however, are the frozen young shoots of many species.

"The tulip and walnut trees have been hit particularly hard. But numerous oak species, fringe trees, common persimmons and many more now also have dark, drooping shoots. It is also noteworthy that it did not only affect small young plants," explains Pietzarka.  Usually, such frosts are somewhat more severe near the ground, so that larger plants are spared. This time, however, even the 40-meter-high tulip tree in the historical part of the garden shows frost damage right up to the treetop.

The team at the Forest Park Tharandt has already started to record and document the damage, although the full extent will certainly only become apparent in the coming weeks.

"At the very least we want to learn from the damage: Which species are more robust or less endangered by such late frosts, the frequency of which will increase as a result of the weather caprices in the wake of climate change."

The problem was not the seasonal frost, but the much too warm weather of the previous weeks, which triggered the budding and flowering of the trees this year four weeks before the expected due date.

"We hope that most of the trees have the resources to cope with this setback and will be able to recover," says Pietzarka.

Contact:
Dr. Ulrich Pietzarka
Curator
Forest Park and Arboretum Tharandt
Tel.: +49 351 463-31274                  
www.forstpark.de