There has been a climate station in the Freising Weltwald for over 25 years.
These recently took a closer look at over 90 interested parties.
Freising
- A climate station with wired trees: The pulse has been measured in the Freising World Forest since 1995: temperature, precipitation, evaporation, soil water, growth in thickness - everything is under observation.
Together with over 90 participants, Prof. Dr.
Jörg Ewald from the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences set off into the middle of the “Little Spessart”, a deciduous forest close to nature that has become rare in our part of the world, as part of the “Walk & Talk” series.
temperature increases
With the help of the forest climate station, climatic changes can also be determined here in Bavaria: The average temperature for southern Bavaria is 8.5 degrees, in northern Bavaria (measuring station Würzburg) it is 9.5 degrees - and the trend is clearly rising. Thanks to the loamy soil, which can store a lot of water, the forests and fields in the district are still in good condition and have survived the hot, dry summers of the past three years without major damage. The near-natural forest is still able to withstand the extremes of temperature. If the 1.5-degree target is not reached, however, one must be prepared for forest damage such as is already occurring in northern Bavaria.
So action is also required for the local forestry: The ecological conversion of the predominant pure spruce stands, which are prevalent in many places and are susceptible to wind, drought and beetles, into stable and species-rich mixed forests with beech, fir, oak and maple must be continued.
Warmth-loving native species such as the service tree or exotic species, such as the Douglas fir, which was introduced from North America in the 19th century, could complement this range.
However, according to the expert, importing heat-resistant tree species is not easy because they also have to be frost-resistant.
By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.
In addition to the question of the future-oriented choice of tree species, the climate-friendly use of wood as a resource was discussed.
“Unfortunately,” says Ewald, “three quarters of the beech wood is currently being burned.” This means that the CO2 stored in the wood for decades is released back into the atmosphere all too quickly.
It would be more sustainable to use more local wood as a building material and to pay close attention to the origin of the wood when buying furniture, etc. in everyday life.
Tree tops, bark and dead wood should remain in the forest in order to bind CO2 in the soil through the enrichment of humus.
According to Ewald, the idea of creating fast-growing plantations, for example for the production of bioplastics, is at the expense of other forest functions that are performed much better by permanent mixed forests made from trees of different ages.
Focus on recycling
“What can we actually contribute to forest protection in our everyday life?” Asked the participants at the end of the discussion, Tabea Janson, education officer at the Domberg Academy.
Two objects provided initial suggestions: a roll of toilet paper and a paper bag.
“A person uses an average of twelve kilograms of toilet paper, with 230 kilograms of paper waste per person per year.
Imagine how much fresh wood is used for the production of toilet paper or cardboard that is not made from recycling loops? ”Says Janson.
Fewer online orders and not buying paper bags in stores and bringing your own bags or backpacks would be one solution.
Another: When buying (toilet) paper, pay attention to environmental seals such as the Blue Angel and 100 percent recycled content.
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