Establishment of a trial area for climate-friendly tree species
The entire forest area of the KlimafitWald is being reforested with different (deciduous) tree species in order to increase the diversity of trees in the area and thus reduce the vulnerability of the forest system to pests, storms and dry periods. In April 2024, the KlimafitWald team and our forester set up a fenced-in trial area at almost 1,500 meters above sea level to test which tree species are particularly well suited to the soil and climatic conditions.
Various deciduous and coniferous tree species were planted, protected from browsing and peeling by a high-game protection fence. These were bare-root plants, all from the region. In the morning there was still a little snow in some places, which melted over the course of the day. The start of the day was correspondingly chilly, but this in no way impressed the motivated team. With a wealth of ideas and full commitment, the area was first marked out, then the individual posts were hewn into the ground and - because they were usually too short - extended upwards with battens. Once the scaffolding was in place, the 1.80 meter high roll of fence wire was rolled up and attached to the fence posts. Once the fencing was complete, the plants were placed in the ground and each was marked with a stake to mark each individual plant.
The following species were planted:
- Birch
- Mountain elm
- Swiss stone pine
- Fir
- Beech
- Sycamore maple
It remained exciting, as the first rainfall did not occur until around a week after planting. Since then, rainy periods have alternated with very dry and hot phases. We were able to observe that drought and voles led to a certain loss of young plants.
We hadn't really expected that at this altitude: Protected against game, mice are now the problem.
In principle, game browsing and peeling (see photo below) represent a major challenge for forest conversion.
After the first few months, we found that all species were coping well with the conditions - except for the mice - and the majority had survived. The team also planted some plants around the area for comparison purposes, which had already been bitten and peeled many times (see photo above).
After the coming winter and sprouting in spring, the KlimafitWald team will be able to inspect the trial area again and draw initial conclusions as to which tree species are best suited to the conditions.
The project is supported by:
Click here to go to AT.INTERMODAL
Click here to go to fussballreisen.com
Click here to go to TREVISION
