A broken Paradise

I really love the Harz. The Area is extremely beautiful, and there is something new to Discover behind every Corner. It is an awesome Place to be.

It is also a bit of a broken Paradise though. More and more Trees are dying, and there is so much Trash just flying around everywhere. It can be really bad at Times.

We have a lot of Spruce Monocultures here in the Harz dating back to the old mining Days of the Past. And every Monoculture has the same Problem: It is very susceptible to Pest and Decease.

Our Pest is the Buchdrucker, a form of Bark Beetle that really does love our Trees. And because of all the Heat we have been having these past few Years, the Trees are weak and can not really defend themselves.

This is especially visible in the Nationalpark Harz, where the dead Trees are usually left standing. It really looks sad, especially around Torfhaus and the Oderteich. New Trees are starting to grow though, and it is beautiful to see how Nature can spring back. Even if it is with a little Help sometimes.

Out of the Park, those Trees are usually removed and barren Landscapes are left behind. That looks even worse than the Dead Standing in my Opinion. But reforestation is being performed, and maybe we will have a new Forest in a few Years Time.

Another Thing that I really can not stand is littering. While Nature will rebound from the Bark Beetle Pandemic someday, our Trash will not decay. Or at least it will take many Decades, in some Cases even Centuries for our Trash to disappear.

The Thing is: All the Poisons inside that Trash will still be there. Animals ingest it and get sick, Fires get ignited by thrown out Bottles and everything is awful.

Sometimes it seems as if People just do not care about the Environment when they do such Things. They knowingly or at least willingly break every single Rule of common Decency.

Smokers make me especially mad. When it is dry, Fires can start from a single Butt. And the Poisons in those Things are even worse. Those can destroy entire Eco-Systems.

While some Areas of the Harz are constantly overrun, even during these uncertain Times, People flock to those Areas in Masses. And of Course they do not care about any Rules.

Instead of wearing Masks, they discard them in Nature without a second Thought. It is really bad in some Places. The Oderteich actually is one of the worst Examples of that. The Parking Lot is full of Trash.

It really does suck.

Luckily, there are many other beautiful Places in the Harz without the Crowds and without much of the Trash.

There is still a lot of Beauty that you can Find. Just be respectful with Nature and the Locations, and it will stay that Way.