Forestry

Forest covers almost the entire Nahe region, including the river meadows. At the higher altitudes, there are mostly beech forests, under 400 meters, there are mainly oaks. Interspersed with these are maple, ash, birch, beam, and in wetter areas along the river are alder and willow. After the ruinous phase of commercial exploitation, about 160 years ago, "natural forestry" aims to construct forests that contain mixed tree species, which are altitude dependent and are of different ages. According to the new sustainability concept, dead wood is the beginning and end of all forest life. When a tree dies, it attracts new life; for example, the hundreds of bugs, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, spiders, woodlice, slugs which depend on dead wood, as well as numerous birds and animals. In natural forests, dead wood also contains a huge amount of valuable nutrients, which flow back into the forest ground after the dead wood inhabitants have done their work. A dead wood deficiency therefore means a reduction in habitat and nutrition for its inhabitants, and ultimately a less nutritious and fertile forest floor.

Photo: Deadwood is at the end and the beginning of (almost) every life in the forest. When a tree dies, new life enters it, because hundreds of beetles, fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, spiders, isopods, snails and numerous birds and mammals have specialized in deadwood.