GERMANY ~ Harz National Park ~

... Today 2 related postcards from Harz National Park in one post... the first is picturing the Harz with lush green forests... home to many myths and legends... but as shown on postcard nr 2 the landscape which for centuries was characterised by pure spruce forests, is changing... some parts, especially around the Brocken massif and in the higher regions of the Harz, spruce trees are dying over large areas...

"This decades-old forest has been reduced to a tree graveyard in just a couple of years. "Nowhere else in Central Europe can you experience the climate crisis like here in the Harz Mountains," said Roland Pietsch, head of the Harz National Park"

Brockenblick Photo:© Ina Schulze Steinen
... In the central Harz region, over 90% of spruce trees are dead or dying because of climate change and pests... unprecedented heat waves and prolonged droughts have stressed the trees, weakening their defenses... Bark Beetles thrive in the warmer, drier conditions, rapidly multiplying and attacking weakened spruce trees... drought reduces the trees' ability to produce resin, which normally seals wounds and repels beetles... Thanks Dustin!【ツ】 It must have been a really sad and terrifying view...😞

Direction St Andreasberg
The Harz is the northernmost German Mittelgebirge and the highest mountain range in Northern Germany. It was established in its current form by the merging of the Upper Harz National Park and the Harz National Park in Lower Saxony in 2006 following the two National Parks uniting. Today it is a protected area covering ± 24,700 ha. where numerous varieties of wildlife flourish and rare animals have been reintroduced.

 

Both postcards with same stamps and special postmarks:

2X World of Letter

(Issued 02-11-2022)

(Issued 02-11-2024)

Superman 

(Issued 03-07-2025)