Drought kills 1.3 million trees in Murcia and triggers pest alerts
Nearly 30,000 hectares have been affected across the Region of Murcia as officials prepare a three-year plan to protect forests
The Region of Murcia is witnessing an environmental crisis in slow motion. Severe drought over the past two years has killed nearly 1.3 million trees, with 29,578 hectares of forest damaged and the number still rising.
In the Carrascoy mountain range alone, more than 75,000 pine trees are now lifeless, transforming the once-verdant landscape into a patchwork of grey and brown.
The view from Puerto de la Cadena, on either side of the highway, is stark. What was once a continuous canopy of green has been destroyed by widespread die-off. Officials from the Regional Ministry of the Environment confirm that around 10% of Murcia's forested area has been hit.
While drought is the main culprit, there is growing concern that tree-boring beetles may soon take advantage of the weakened landscape.
Manuel Páez Blázquez, head of the Planning Service for Protected Areas and Natural Environment Protection, described the scale of the disaster.
“The situation is harsh” at Puerto de la Cadena, he confirmed, adding that the dead trees are not the result of pests, but rather of prolonged drought. So far, he said, only 2% of the damaged forest has been affected by the borer beetle Tomicus destruens, which typically targets pine shoots.
According to Mr Páez, the Region narrowly avoided a more devastating scenario.
“We expected a dramatic scenario if the decline of the pines combined with a full-blown attack of the tomicus, but that didn't happen this winter because it couldn't find juicy twigs to feed on. That was one of our biggest concerns, but it didn't happen.”
Monitoring efforts have been in place since October, with technicians working through the winter to track any signs of beetle activity.
“We've succeeded. Because otherwise it would have been catastrophic if we had a borer attack behind the drought. Right now, the borers aren't attacking the trees, so we don't have any pest problems,” he said.
However, that could all change by autumn. The borers feed on the treetops and, if active, could begin burrowing under bark to lay larvae. This disrupts sap flow and ultimately kills the tree.
The worst-hit areas include Coto Cuadros, El Valle y Carrascoy and parts of Sierra Espuña. The strip of land along the Guadalentín Valley, stretching from
through Totana, Alhama, Murcia, Santomera, Fortuna and Abanilla, has also suffered a severe attack.
Sadly, this damage is nothing new. Between 2004 and 2006, a similar wave of drought caused serious loss of forest cover and density. Still, the current toll is severe, with more than 1.3 million trees confirmed dead and others expected to follow when the next inventory is complete.
To address the threat, the Ministry has launched a three-year action plan. Seven permanent forest monitoring stations will play a central role, observing the evolution of pest activity between now and the end of the summer. Forestry teams are prepared to respond quickly if outbreaks are detected.
“We won't worry about removing dead trees, as we have to prioritise preventing attacks on weakened, living trees,” Mr Páez explained.
He also noted that the strategy includes selective tree removal and natural regeneration, rather than replanting.
“Many people ask us, but replanting is not necessary, and even less so now. There will be places where, due to the drought, better densities have remained for our pines, with the potential to be more resilient.”
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