Handlungsempfehlungen und Baumarteneignung auf organischen Böden : Ergebnisse aus dem Projekt MoorWald

The National Peatland Conservation Strategy of the Federal Republic of Germany inter alia aims at the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands used for forestry purposes. This can only be achieved by permanently rewetting the affected areas and requires the forest stands to adapt to the subsequently changing hydrological conditions. Actually 15 % of peatlands in Germany are used as forest areas. Evaluations of the National Forest Inventory have revealed that about 50 % of the forest area on organic soils (including anmoor sites, bog, fen) is in private forest ownership. The tree species spruce (Picea abies), pine (Pinus sylvestris), downy birch (Betula pubescens) and black alder (Alnus glutinosa) grow on these soils and show different growth reactions (stock, growth) on the three organic soil types due to their different site requirements. This is also confirmed by results of a literature research. In order to engage these stakeholders for peatland protection activities, funding instruments must urgently be created that among other things, cover the high costs of forest stand conversion, changing management demands and yield losses, or ensure a land exchange from productive drained to unproductive rewetted forest peatlands. The results obtained in the MoorWald project are to be used to inform private forest owners of possible peatland climate protection measures for their forests and the associated changes and are to be presented within this Thünen Working Paper in the form of recommendations for action. It is shown that black alder is the only tree species that can be used for forest management on rewetted sites. Spruce and pine are unsuitable for such sites as their growth and stability are too severely affected. However, according to literature downy birch can be used on rewetted fens, but will rather find its habitat in the peripheral zones of renatured areas.