If the temperatures continue to rise, the forest is no longer doing well. Climate change is putting the trees under stress, says Matthias Berger, head of the federal forestry district in Frauschereck (municipality of St. Johann/Walde). On Saturday morning, despite the heavy rain at times, he was out and about with a group of interested people as part of the OÖN forest day in the Kobernausserwald and spoke about the challenges and opportunities for the forest in the future.
“Let nature do its thing”
In the Kobernausserwald, the forest picture changes after a few meters – that’s how it should be. “The mixture will make it in the future,” says Berger. Just relying on one type of tree because it currently appears to be more robust or can withstand warmer temperatures is not the ultimate conclusion, he believes. “Who would have thought ten years ago that there would be an ash dieback?” he recalls. No one knows for sure what “harmful events” are coming. “You just have to let nature do its thing to a certain extent. We have to see what it brings us and accept it. Away from purely economic to ecological thinking,” says Berger. However, the forest is not a matter of course, but very important: as a CO2 store, as protection against natural hazards, as a place to breathe deeply and relax, as a guarantor for biodiversity and as a supplier of raw materials. (male)
More about the OÖN forest day read on Thursday in the Rieder/Schärdinger Volkszeitung or the Braunauer Warte and on nachrichten.at/innviertel.
Source: Nachrichten
