Constrained liquidity during forest calamities: an explorative study for adaptation in private forest enterprises in Germany

Successive calamities, including bark beetle outbreaks and windthrow, have caused severe damages in German forests since 2018. The loss of forest stands as an important source of income makes it increasingly difficult for forest management to secure sustainable revenues, which in turn threatens the livelihood of many private forest enterprises. In addition, valuable ecosystem services are affected and there is a lack of financial resources for the necessary investments in reforestation and climate change adaptation. An online survey was used to investigate the attitude of private forest enterprises towards solving liquidity problems.