In Central Europe, the climate of the last decade was warmer than that of any time during the past 500 years. The vegetation period of 2003 was extremely hot and dry. In the last 40 years, 3 heavy storms struck considerable parts of the Swiss forests. Such favorable conditions leaded to mass attacks of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus). Strategies in forest protection and bark beetle management are changing. Due to logistical, economical and ecological reasons more and more suitable breeding material and infested trees will remain in the stands. Since 1999 a total of about 4.5 million cubic meters of standing spruce were killed in Switzerland by Ips typographus, a record that has never been registered before. In some regions the bark beetle outbreaks are still going on.