No need for the sarcastic scare quotes. The trees were dead or dying and a fire hazard. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-centraleurope-environment-barkbeetle

No need for the sarcastic scare quotes. The trees were dead or dying and a fire hazard. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-centraleurope-environment-barkbeetle/climate-change-to-blame-as-bark-beetles-ravage-central-europes-forests-idUSKCN1S21LA/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-centraleurope-environment... The studies I saw didn't agree with the climate change angle, but bark beetles of various species are absolutely brutal to trees. What's more, depending on the species, the wood is useless for anything but biomass. The larvae can and will burrow tunnels deep into the trunk which makes the wood unappealing for most uses... So it's not like it is a convenient excuse for loggers to go in and clear cut.