Plant two new trees for each felled tree – that is what the municipality of Graefelfing promised when part of the school forest on campus was cut down for the construction of the new gym and swimming pool at the beginning of the year. So things are looking good so far: 322 trees have been removed and if things continue, around 700 trees will flourish. Planting should begin in March, parallel to the start of construction on the hall.
The municipality is legally obliged to create a nature conservation and forest law compensation to a certain extent in order to compensate for the felled forest. On top of that, she is reforesting another hectare on a voluntary basis. Overall, the compensation should take place on three areas. The soccer field is being reforested in a forest clearing north of the A 96 motorway. Pedunculate oaks and hornbeams are mainly planted there, and some linden trees and service berries are also expected to grow. Likewise, in the context of climate change, they want to try chestnuts, which are otherwise found in more southerly regions. Forest is also being reforested on the voluntary compensation area directly next to it, and a belt of bushes and a dead wood hedge are being created, said landscape architect Dagmar Digmayer at the meeting of the local council on Tuesday.
The third area is the Gockelberg, which is popular as a toboggan hill in winter, which is being replanted. There, above all, bushes are planned and individual trees on the meadow area. In addition, a special hay meadow is sown, which is only cut once a year. Digmayer promises that the hill will remain as a toboggan hill in winter. The planting concept was well received by the local councils, “that’s a big win,” said Florian Ernstberger (Graefelfing-Lochham / BVGL). Martin Feldner (Greens / Independent) announced that he was keeping an eye on how to deal with the new eco-account: The voluntary compensation area is considered an eco-account, from which the municipality, so to speak, deducts the required areas for future construction projects that require compensation under nature conservation law can. The bottom line is that the promise to plant two new trees for each felled tree must be kept in the long term, emphasized Feldner.