Skip to main content

National Forest Condition Survey

Logo der WZE bestehend aus dem Wort WZE mit grünen Bändern die sich über dem Wort von links oben nach rechts unten erstrecken.
© Bodenschutz und Waldzustand - Thünen

The vitality of forests is recorded annually as part of the National Forest Condition Survey (WZE). Thereby, the condition of the crown serves as an indicator of the vitality of forest trees. The WZE has been conducted in the old federal states since 1984 and in the new federal states since 1990.

The nationwide survey is carried out each year in July and August using a systematic 8 km x 8 km sampling grid (Level I grid) and provides representative results at national level for the most important tree species. Samples are taken from 46,531 trees at approximately 1,900 sites. Until 2025, the WZE was carried out on a systematic 16 x 16 km sampling grid at 420 sites and on a total of around 10,000 trees.

Further information can be found on the following subpages and on the Thünen website.

Scroll to top