Well, that's one reason, but the bugs are not the only ones to blame. Originally, there was a lot of mixed forest in this area. But as the mining industry grew in the 17th to 19th centuries, so did the need for wood. So, they chopped down a lot of trees and replanted spruce, because it's fast-growing and undemanding. Unfortunately, spruce is also far less resistant to climate change, which led to storms and wildfires destroying vast areas of the forest. What wasn't destroyed by storms and fires was decimated by the bark beetle, thriving on the monoculture buffet.

For centuries, they only replanted spruce, so the vicious cycle continued. It's only recently that they've decided to let the Harz be the Harz again, allowing it to return to its natural mixed forests. But this will take decades, and until then, we'll have to get used to seeing broken trees. 🤷🏼‍♀️