As of: March 16, 2024, 7:12 a.m
By: Andreas Steppan
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Work on a pasture area on the Schronbach has left deep marks on the protected landscape.
The smoke comes from clearing fires that are used to clear brushwood left over from felling trees.
© Arndt Pröhl
Hikers are horrified by deep ruts and felled trees in a pasture area on the Schronbachalm near Lake Sylvenstein.
Those responsible admit mistakes, but they are “curable”.
Lenggries/Jachenau
– The Schronbach winds through gently undulating terrain north of Lake Sylvenstein.
In a letter to the Tölzer Kurier, a hiker from Lenggries described what she saw in the middle of this natural idyll as a “shocking sight”.
“Clear-cutting” was carried out in the area behind the Schronbachalm.
Heavy equipment was used to drive over the wet meadow, which created deep furrows in the ground.
The reader laments the “loss of a gem”.
Damage caused by turning measures on the Schronbach
In fact, according to research carried out by our newspaper, damage was caused at the beginning of the year during swedging measures on the alpine pasture on the Schronbach.
Both the forestry company as the landowner and the alpine farmer, who holds the grazing rights here, are open about what is happening.
“Yes, mistakes happened,” says Tölz forestry manager Robert Krebs.
When the area was being repaired, there was “jerking and rumbling – but it can be repaired”.
The affected area is in the landscape protection area.
The Schronbach itself is classified as a natural monument.
There are biotope areas along the bank area.
The alpine pasture area is part of the 44,000 hectares for which the Tölzer Forestry Company is responsible.
However, not all of it is forest; 14,000 hectares are alpine pastures where local farmers exercise their traditional grazing rights in the summer months.
One of these authorized alpine pastures is the Schronbachalm.
The measure began in winter with snow and frost - then it thawed
Alpine farmer Sebastian Bauer recently took over a farm and runs it as a sideline.
Because the pasture area was overgrown, he went to the responsible authorities last year - the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry, the Lower Nature Conservation Authority and the Forestry Company - to agree on a turnaround measure, i.e. a measure to maintain or restore a pasture area.
The deep grooves in the ground were even more visible a few weeks ago.
A hiker from Lenggries documented the situation and spoke of a “shocking sight”.
© private
When asked by our newspaper, district office spokeswoman Marlis Peischer confirmed that the measure had been “registered and agreed upon”.
“Nature conservation suspects that the area in question had not been maintained for several years, so measures had to be taken to prepare this area accordingly,” says Peischer.
They have now “determined exactly which measures have been taken, primarily where trees can be removed”.
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As Bauer reports, he and the forestry company started implementing it in January, “when we had a real winter with good snow and frost.
But then, unfortunately, the winter went by too quickly,” said Bauer.
When the thaw began, people were faced with a dilemma.
The felled trunks had to be transported away.
Leaving them behind was not an option, nor was picking them up by helicopter.
As Sebastian Bauer admits, “damage to the floor occurred” as the work continued.
Schronbachalm: The driver of the forwarding vehicle thought the area was viable
The mistake was made by driving in with the logging truck, says Krebs.
He attributes this to a “chain of unfortunate circumstances”.
Normally, each individual trip only takes place with the consent of the respective operations manager.
But he wasn't there that day.
“And the driver thought the reason was sound.”
District office spokeswoman Peischer states: “The soil was massively damaged in some areas.
The damage to the ground was primarily due to the fact that the ground was no longer frozen.
But he would have had to be in order to drive on it with heavy equipment.”
In addition, the Lower Nature Conservation Authority found that the felling of trees went beyond the agreed amount, “particularly on a slope that was not actually intended for this,” said Peischer.
Krebs also admits: “Opinion can be divided as to whether too many or too few trees were removed.” However, there is no violation under forest law.
“And I also assume that there was no violation of regulations in the landscape protection area.”
Extensive repair of the damage in the alpine area
Overall, it is not a case of “clear-cutting”, but rather an attempt to preserve pastureland, emphasizes Krebs.
The coexistence of open spaces, “sparsely planted” areas and dense forest enables various, sometimes rare, animal and plant species to live.
It is important to maintain the right balance here.
“150 years ago the forest was endangered because it was overgrazed, today we have to be careful to preserve the open alpine areas.”
Forestry manager Robert Krebs (right) on site in conversation with editor Andreas Steppan.
© Arndt Pröhl
Now the focus is on repairs.
Sebastian Bauer says he is working on repairing the damage “with a large number of people and many hours of work.”
Family, friends and neighbors: everyone would lend a hand in their free time.
Peischer describes what needs to be done from the perspective of the Lower Nature Conservation Authority: “The soil has to be restored by hand.
Above all, this means that vegetation sods, i.e. plant plates attached to the roots, must be used so that the soil is closed again.”
In addition, the large amount of brushwood that was created “must be disposed of properly, otherwise the soil underneath cannot recover.”
This is usually done by clearing fire.
That's why you can currently see smoke rising in many places on the alpine pastures.
Through extensive manual work by the farmer in collaboration with the forestry company, the renovation work in the area of the traffic lanes was carried out to such an extent that the areas can recover.
Damaged areas cannot be used as pasture this year
However: “The Lower Nature Conservation Authority assumes that the damage is so immense that the soil will no longer recover this year.
This means that they are not only damaged from a nature conservation perspective because wet meadows, riparian and spring moor areas and alpine meadows are destroyed, but that the damaged areas are also not available as pastureland,” says Peischer.
“The soil needs some time to develop back to a resilient state.” The damaged areas would have to be fenced off.
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“We tried very hard,” assures Krebs.
The damaged areas would be green again as early as May.
It could take two to three years for a full recovery.
The “self-healing powers of nature” would also develop.
“You have to give nature time.”
According to Peischer, the nature conservation authority is now checking whether there are any administrative offenses and what, if any, consequences there are.
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