Forest conversion with migrants: Trees from Romania and France should help in Starnberg

Created: 08/25/2022, 17:08

By: Tobias Gmach

Forestry experts Lisa Schubert (with her hand on the tree) and Christian Gick (to her left) engaged in discussions in the forest with around 30 participants in the information walk in the Starnberg city forest.

We have the seed potential for the rebuild.

Advisory forester Lisa Schubert on the diversity of regional forests © Andrea Jaksch

In order to prepare the forest in the region for climate change, forestry experts not only use domestic wood.

Fir trees from Romania and oak trees from France also play an important role in the conversion of the areas dominated by spruce trees.

Wangen – Forest owners and forestry professionals have only been together in the forest for 20 minutes before they are already arguing.

The question: How many trees do you need for a single-family house made of solid wood?

Lisa Schubert, Starnberg district manager at the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry Weilheim (AELF), calculates 40 to 50 pieces of the spruce on which it is currently standing.

Others tend to think of 200 – because so much is lost in the sawmill.

Schubert replies that she has already taken that into account, but will look into the question again.

There is heated debate, but all is well.

The scene shows how much the tour participants are concerned with topics such as timber construction, climate change, saving and storing CO2.

Advisory forester Schubert and Christian Gick, graduate forester at the Starnberg Forest Owners' Association (WBV), invited to an information walk on Tuesday evening under the motto "Climate boards are climate savers".

Around 30 interested parties, including many forest owners from the district, came - according to Gick "more than ever before".

The group climbs into the largest part of the Starnberg city forest (a total of 160 hectares) at the Wangen soccer field.

District manager Schubert delivers the most exciting detail after about three quarters of an hour: In order to prepare the forest in the region for climate change, forestry experts such as those at the Bavarian Office for Forest Genetics not only use native woods such as beech.

"In south-eastern Europe, the weather is as we expect it to be here one day," explains Schubert.

"That's why we specifically harvest silver firs in Romania and plant them back here." The same is done with French warped oaks.

So that the local forest becomes more diverse and more resistant to pests and drought.

WBV representative Gick says about the conversion of the forest, which is already underway: "We don't rely on one horse, but on many - and hope that in the end one survives." As is well known, the ash tree is dying everywhere.

After all, during the one-and-a-half-hour tour with many breaks in conversation, the group counted eight tree species - and without much effort: sycamore maple, walnut, willow, alder, silver fir and spruce, beech and ash.

"This shows us that we have the seed potential for the conversion," says Schubert.

Damage limitation: Foresters from the region have to help out in the Franconian Forest

One wants to get away from the large spruce dominance in the Starnberg district.

The conifers, which feel most comfortable in the humid mountains, do not cope well with the increasing drought.

The bark beetle is currently not a big problem in the Fünfseenland, the two experts explain during the walk.

Elsewhere, together with storms and drought in recent years, it has ensured that it is no longer a matter of forest conversion, but only of forest preservation.

For example in the Franconian Forest, where foresters from the region have to help out again and again, as Schubert says.

Pure damage control.

And the forest is so important for curbing global warming: trees are climate coolers.

"One kilo of wood stores 1.8 kilos of CO2," the forester explains to those present.

The “main question” she is asked is: do we have enough wood to build rows of houses out of it?

The answer: "Yes, we have more than we use." According to Schubert, 13 cubic meters of wood grow back every year on a forest area the size of a soccer field - which corresponds to 13 stately spruce trees.

It is best to use the wood several times, for example to build it up first and then burn it.

The timber industry is no longer a regional business, but most of the natural material from the Starnberg Forest Owners' Association does not end up abroad, but in Austrian sawmills.

According to its employee Michael Schiessl, the city of Starnberg sees itself as a role model.

The trees felled because of the bark beetle would be used regionally in order to keep the transport routes short, he says and also reports: "We have just discussed that we will plant cherry trees." Another species for the Starnberg city forest, which is currently in good condition .

But this will only remain the case if the forest conversion is successful.

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By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Starnberg newsletter.

You can find more current news from the district of Starnberg at Merkur.de/Starnberg.