Soil protection in forests - approaching a problem of perception (essay). [German]Original Title Bodenschutz im Wald - Annaherung an ein Wahrnehmungsproblem (Essay).

摘要

Sustainable forest management is totally dependent on an intact production base such as the soil. Today's soil has been shaped by soil formation processes over hundreds and thousands of years in the context of various natural cycles. In contrast to these very slow soil formation processes, timber harvesting methods have evolved within a few decades from manual harvesting to high-tech harvesting with heavy machinery. The impact of these on the soil structure is comparable to that of the ice sheets during the last glaciation. The consequences of this development are not easily visible to the eye. But there is the threat of irreversible damages in the form of soil compaction. Now what about sustainability, this fundamental requirement that wood production can be maintained over many tree generations keeping the production base intact? What about the responsibility of forest owners and managers for future forest stands to the coming generations of people? The knowledge exists about the soil processes and the possible damages caused by overstraining the natural limits of the soil system. There are also guidelines for careful forest management even with modern machinery. Rejecting wood harvesting techniques with integrated state-of-the-art soil protection measures purely on economic grounds is incompatible with sustainable thinking.