In the Aubinger Lohe, the forest of spruce, beech and oak is being cleared so that individual specimens get enough light.
Some trees in the Aubinger Lohe have a red dot these days, other wavy lines or dashes. Markers to help keep the forest healthy.
The north of the Lohe is thinned out at the beginning of February. “This part of the forest,” explains Wilhelm Seerieder from the Bavarian State Forests, “is between 25 and 90 years old and must be cared for as part of sustainable management.” The trees, which are very dense, have grown taller in the competition for light. In a storm or heavy snow, some of them could therefore twist more easily.
Which is why one or the other tree – following a concrete plan – now has to give way. “The Aubinger Lohe”, says the forest manager, “is characterized by a mixture of spruce, beech, oak and other tree species.” The aim is to get this mix. For this purpose, a so-called “tree of the future” is selected at regular intervals, which stands out from the rest of the forest in terms of stability, vitality and quality. “The tree that is the most pressing for the tree of the future is then removed.” In order to promote the growth in thickness of the tree of the future and to make the forest stock more vital and stable overall.
Future trees have a red dot, their oppressors a pink line. A wavy line on the tree means that the tree will be retained as a biotope tree due to its nature conservation characteristics. In addition, high stumps are deliberately created during thinning. “These trees, which are cut off at a height of around four meters, serve as a habitat for native woodpeckers and a number of other species,” explains Seerieder. But trees with a double line also have to give way: the machines drive on these routes.