Cherry laurel is spreading in forests and threatening forest regeneration

It is of next to no use to insects and is also poisonous: the evergreen cherry laurel adorns many gardens and is very popular as a hedge. But it is more of a thorn in the side of environmentalists. Now it is spreading in forests in some places. Young trees could form thickets and thus hinder forest regeneration, says BUND Baden-Württemberg. “It can be found again and again, especially in forests close to settlements,” as a spokeswoman says.

“Ecological plague” in the Rastatt district

The Rastatt district office warned at the beginning of September that the plant was increasingly becoming an ecological pest and was spreading more and more in the district's forests. “The foresters in the district have noticed a worrying increase in this non-native species in recent years, particularly on the edges of forests, in areas close to towns and along paths and forest parking lots,” it said.

Cherry laurel is also already causing major problems in the Karlsruhe forests, as the city of Karlsruhe reported in July. “It would be best if people would allow this shrub to remain in the forests - that would help the most,” says a spokesman for ForstBW. However, cherry laurel is not yet a problem in the state forest.

The plant is spread, for example, through garden waste or excavated earth that is simply dumped on the edge of the forest, said Katrin Fritzsch from the Nabu Nature Conservation Center Federsee. She considers information from other districts on this topic to be useful.

Deposits of green waste cause problems overall

In general, green waste that is illegally dumped on parking lots or at the edges of forests plays a significant role in the spread of introduced species, say the experts. In the Ortenau district, for example, according to the Forestry Office, people also keep an eye on cherry laurel, but are more likely to have trouble with illegally planted bamboo plants, which can spread violently thanks to their root formation.

In Switzerland, the planting of cherry laurel has been prohibited for two years. According to the Nabu Federal Association, it is not yet on the EU list of invasive species.