Spruce Bark Beetles Are Ruining Swedish Forests at a Record Pace

(Bloomberg) -- The spruce bark beetle has already done as much damage to Sweden’s forests so far this year as in all of 2019, when the species ate through record amounts of wood in the largest Nordic economy.

According to the Swedish Forest Agency, the beetles have spoiled almost 7 million cubic meters of wood in the south and middle of Sweden, matching last year’s extreme. In 2018, the species destroyed about 3-4 million cubic meters of lumber.

“We still have very big problems with the spruce bark beetle, and again this year it has caused damages for billions of kronor,” said Kerstin Strom, who oversees the agency’s efforts to contain the issue.

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