What the “primeval forests of the future” are all about
Created: 12/28/2022, 10:00 am
By: Stephen Hank
Excursion into the natural forest: the foresters (from left) Stefan Kramer and Jörg Meyer.
© AELF Holzkirchen
There are 5500 hectares of natural forests in the district.
Here the forest is left to itself.
In order for this to work, the attention of the visitors is also required.
District
– The forest floor is untouched, old firs, spruces and beeches tower proudly in the air.
In this so-called natural forest near Kreuth, the forest is left to itself.
"We deliberately do not cut any wood here in order to preserve and improve biodiversity," explains Jörg Meyer, forest manager of the Schliersee forestry company of the Bavarian State Forests.
Together with Stefan Kramer, head of the forestry department at the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (AELF) in Holzkirchen, he would like to sensitize the population to this and other "small national parks on the doorstep".
Meyer: "This is where the primeval forests of the future are created."
Around 83,000 hectares of ecologically valuable forests in Bavaria
In Bavaria, around 83,000 hectares of ecologically valuable forests are under permanent protection.
According to a press release, the Schliersee forestry company is one of the forestry companies with the most natural forest areas in Bavaria with over 5500 hectares.
Natural forests are predominantly old forests with a largely near-natural composition of tree species and, in some cases, high proportions of biotope trees and deadwood.
As Meyer reports, the natural forests in the district of Miesbach are predominantly mixed mountain forests and natural subalpine spruce forests.
"The largest areas are in the mountain forests south of Tegernsee and Schliersee," says Meyer.
Habitat for rare animal and plant species
The natural forests play an important role in preserving biodiversity throughout Bavaria, as they form a "green network" that offers habitats and development opportunities for many, sometimes very rare, animal and plant species.
In addition, they are important reference areas for near-natural management of the forests.
"Natural forests are also a reflection of the natural development of forests in climate change without forestry measures," reports Meyer.
"They can provide important information here in the long term in order to further improve the already very natural forest management of our mountain forests."
In addition to their special importance for biodiversity, such forests are also there for the population, adds AELF department head Kramer.
Citizens should be able to experience nature in a gentle way with plenty of rest and relaxation.
However, the process of forming "primeval forest" in its structural and species richness takes a lot of time.
Visitors should stay on the paths
It is therefore important to both foresters that visitors treat nature with care and stay on roads and paths in order to experience the forest diversity.
This is the only way for the forests to develop undisturbed.
Meyer and Kramer agree that the natural forests further strengthen forest nature conservation and complement forest management according to the motto "protect and use".
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