Environment Director Kolmer: “Ensuring forest conservation through appropriate measures”
Due to the severe drought of recent years in the context of the climate crisis and in view of the overall health of the city’s forest ecosystem, the scientific city of Darmstadt has long since reduced logging to the bare minimum in accordance with its forest model. Of course, this will affect the firewood sales opportunities.
“Current climatic conditions, in particular the three-year drought period from 2018 to 2020 and this year’s summer drought, have put a strain on the trees in the forest of the city of Darmstadt. Intact and stable forests have become rare. . It is all the more important to ensure the conservation of the forest now and to find and implement appropriate measures. Until the city forest has recovered, no more wood will be cut for sale. Trees are felled only in exceptional cases for essential reasons road safety, “explains Michael Kolmer, head of the environment department.
Preserve the future of the city forest
Although the demand for firewood is currently high, the city forest cannot make a significant contribution here due to its precarious climatic and ecological situation. The measures taken under the forest model concern none other than the future of the city forest with all its effects on the quality of life in Darmstadt. This goal, which is extremely important in the short, medium and long term, must not be lost sight of.
For the past two years, the scientific city of Darmstadt has also left dry wood and dead trees in its inventory as a forest aid measure: “The wood left lying around provides shade and moisture to the forest floor and acts as a sponge that absorbs and stores. water and on which, for example, also grow mosses and lichens, which act as a moisturizer for the dry forest in summer. New trees grow much better from it than from the soil of a cleared forest. In this way, the city forest it can create a future for itself, ”continues Kolmer.
Dead wood remains
On the other hand, this new type of forest treatment leads to a very limited supply of firewood in the scientific city of Darmstadt, as dead trees and dead wood are felled for the reasons mentioned above but remain in the stocks. The municipality therefore requests information on the current availability of firewood from the municipal forest to be found on the municipality’s website https://www.darmstadt.de/leben-in-darmstadt/umwelt/wald-und-baeume/brennholzverkauf to notice.
Regarding the theft of timber from the city forest in recent months, the city also requests information from the green spaces office, telephone 06151 / 13-2900 and points out that any unauthorized appropriation of timber from the Darmstadt city forest will be reported.
(Text: PM Science City Darmstadt)
