Once upon a time, there was a dying forest

Forests can be found everywhere on our planet. But only in German (and, to a certain extent, also in Swiss) forests, a special phenomenon occurred about 30 years ago called Waldsterben'' (dying of forests). The starting point were local damages to certain tree species which scientists, journalists and politicians eagerly interpreted as a global threat to all forests. Man-made emissions were seen as the cause of the Waldsterben which was expected to thoroughly deforest the country within a few years. However, none of the apocalyptic prophecies of that time fulfilled. Seen in retrospect, Waldsterben spared the trees. It only seized the minds of the people. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.