Zurich Forest Laboratory | College of Rottenburg

On June 27, 2024, the grasp’s course from the College of Forestry Rottenburg (HFR) visited the Zurich forest laboratory. These from Dr. The tour led by Martin Brüllhardt, managing director of the forest laboratory, supplied fascinating insights into the totally different goals and tasks of the forest laboratory.

The forest laboratory

Dr. Brüllhardt described the forest laboratory method as a real-world laboratory, primarily based within the coronary heart of the Zurich conurbation, which has greater than one million inhabitants, and focuses on the cultural forest below influenced and maintained by people to show and analyze. It was launched in 2019 by WaldZürich, the affiliation of Zurich forest homeowners, on the event of its centenary. Different companions embrace the town and canton of Zurich, that are offering forest areas as experimental areas for the subsequent 100 years, in addition to ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Analysis , Snow and Terrain (WSL) and Zurich Forestry Employees. Society.

The forest laboratory goals to reveal the varied providers that the forest gives to society and to advertise the sustainable use of this necessary habitat. With a time horizon of 100 years, it units a acutely aware distinction to the usually short-term tasks of our time and shall be a spot for studying, data and analysis for various goal teams, from college lessons to college students to professionals.

Sensible workout routines and measurements

The scholars in Rottenburg first had the chance to expertise a marteloscope and the follow of marking timber in a combined plant stuffed with tree species. Local weather stability, promotion of biodiversity, tree ailments, suitability for recreation, use of wooden – all these elements ought to be taken into consideration within the train. In fact there have been totally different good options, which Dr. Brüllhardt and the native forester had been mentioned.

The subsequent cease was a planting space that’s a part of a take a look at community throughout Switzerland. Totally different tree species and sources are in contrast in relation to their progress conduct in local weather change to look at their means to adapt. The online gasoline trade between the inventory and the ambiance can be calculated.

An outdated larch take a look at space was then thought-provoking: totally different sources of larch timber had been as soon as examined right here, however the space is now deserted and may not be assessed: data that will be invaluable in right this moment. This reinforces the necessity to repeatedly keep long-term tasks and safe their forest report.

Go to the brand new arboretum and different tasks

The spotlight of the journey was the go to to the brand new arboretum, which comprises 251 necessary forest species from Central Europe, together with each native and unique species and people who might migrate with them itself sooner or later as a consequence of local weather change. The scholars had been capable of apply their specialist data when figuring out the 5 oak species native to Switzerland – English oak, sessile oak, weak oak, weak/sessile cross-legged oak and oak oak (Fig. 1).

The Forest Lab’s central forest mission represents this historic administration method, which is very valued by conservationists. Medium forests are a mix of forests and tall forests; they provide quite a lot of habitats and promote biodiversity (Fig. 2). The forest laboratory makes use of this kind of administration to review conventional forest practices and doc their ecological and financial advantages.

One other focus was the problem of water stability. Dr. Brüllhardt confirmed how water circulation is measured in timber and all through the forest ecosystem (Fig. 3).

It was an fascinating discovery that solely about 20% of the precipitation reaches the timber at this location. These measurements contribute considerably to understanding the water stability in forests, particularly in instances of local weather change, the place lengthy dry intervals and extreme climate can threaten the forest’s water provide.

After which there was the mission work of the scholars on the Chair of Architectural Habits at ETHZ. The conduct of forest guests is studied and leisure services are supplied that may be designed and skilled utilizing only a few assets and supplies from the forest (Fig. 4). The forest laboratory is a spot for data and studying far past the angle of forestry and pure science.

Conclusion and perspective

The journey to the Zurich forest laboratory was very instructional for the HFR Rottenburg college students. He not solely supplied sensible workout routines and theoretical data, but additionally a worthwhile perception into the assorted strategies and tasks carried out within the forest laboratory. Wanting past nationwide borders allowed us to realize new views and study modern approaches to sustainable forest administration.
The Zurich Forest Laboratory demonstrates the significance of understanding the forest as a multifunctional place that not solely gives wooden, but additionally performs necessary ecological features and is a – previous Along with his long-term focus and numerous analysis tasks, he makes a big contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of our forests.
Many due to Dr. Martin Brüllhardt for the great tour of the forest laboratory. She confirmed us how necessary it’s to look after the forests of our time and protect them for future generations.

Literature references: