Foundations and experiences with the renaturation of Rhine riverain forests
1999
Volk, H.
Geobotany and floodplain ecology assume that the geological floodplains of large rivers such as the Rhine, Elbe, Oder and the Danube had a predominantly wetland character before modifications were made to these rivers. The views about the natural riverain forest vegetation are based on this assumption. For the geological floodplain of the Upper Rhine, these assumptions must be limited. Considerable parts of the unmodified Upper Rhine floodplain had planar mixed deciduous forest types with oak-hornbeam, oak-beech-hornbeam and beech-oak-hornbeam 250 years ago. It can also be assumed that mixed forests with ash, common maple and pine were natural components of the riverain forest vegetation, and this applies particularly to the unmodified old floodplains. The model of the typical riverain forests, the natural forests, in river floodplains can, therefore, be expanded considerably. A considerably larger number of forest types that actually exists in the floodplain vegetation today, can, therefore, be classified as natural or near natural riverain forests. The new evaluation of the nature protection value of the present forests in floodplains has consequences for the evaluation of changes in the forest structure, which can occur due to renaturation measures. Some new evaluation criteria for riverain forests will be discussed using examples from the renaturation and afforestation measures for the middle Elbe river floodplain.
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