EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

in the biosphere reserve. Most of the property
is occupied by the geological formation
of boulder marl. About 20% are characterised
by sand on a permeable substrate.
Climate
Totalling 571 mm on average, annual precipitation
shows a maximum of 72 mm in
July and is altered by the terminal moraine's
ridges at a small scale. Together with the
hillsides having a retaining eff ect, the lakes
produce an increase in atmospheric humidity
in the forest. More than half of the precipitation
occurs during the growth season.
Th e annual mean air temperature is 8.3 °C.
Th e climate is under Atlantic as well as subcontinental
infl uences.
Soils
About half of the Grumsiner Forst area is
dominated by boulder marl. 40% of leached
brown soils and 10% of brown soils are
found in the forest area. Th e remaining 50%
should be summarised as brown soils at
varying degrees of podzolisation. Soils of
the terrestrialisation, kettle-hole, and
swamp mires are found only in small areas
(SCHÄFER & HORNSCHUCH 1998).
Water balance
A formative feature of the component part
is the close contact between water and forest.
On the one hand, it is the fi ve lakes Buckowsee,
Großer Dabersee, Moossee, Brakensee
und Schwarzer See, and on the other hand
the multifarious mires that determine the
outstanding character.
Th e property is located within the large
catchment area of the Oder River. Th e involved
smaller local groundwater catchment
areas are predominantly delimited by the
relief and geological factors (SCHÄFER
& HORNSCHUCH 1998). A hallmark of
the ground and terminal moraine zones
is the alteration between groundwater-retain-
ing layers and aquifers. Contiguous aquifers
are rather scarce due to the widespread
sandy boulder marl (JORDAN & WEDER
1995). Consequently, groundwater levels in
the moors and lakes of the property vary
markedly. Th e inland catchment areas, which
had initially been separate from each
other, were in part connected by anthropogenic
intervention. Th is was reversed within
the scope of hydro-engineering measures
in preparation of the nomination.
Biotic factors
Biotopes and vegetation
Th e forest landscape is dominated by beech
forests that diff er in soil base contents.
Th e large-area woodruff -beech forest (Galio
odorati-Fagetum) is representative of a
medium trophic level. Woodruff -beech
forest with Wood Melick (Melica unifl ora),
woodruff -beech forest with Wood Millet
(Milium eff usum), and woodrush-beech
forest (Luzulo-Fagetum) with May Lily
(Maianthemum bifolium) can be diff erentiated
with dropping base contents.
Th e slope angles, which for lowlands are
remarkably steep in places, have a modifying
eff ect on the forest communities, with
both profound moist emplacement areas
and natural small-scale denudation zones.
On dry crests, the dominant beech is
replaced by the sessile oak, on slopes by hornbeams,
in wet hollows by ash trees, and on
the lake banks by alders. Wet sites in
Grumsin are populated with elongated sedgealder
carrs, which are signature elements
of the lowland beech forest landscapes (fi g.
2.11).
2. DESCRIPTION
Geology:
Pleistocene formations
Climate:
Atlantic-Subcontinental
Soil:
brown soil, leached brown
soil, podzolic brown soil,
bog soil
Predominant beech
forest types:
Galium odorati-Fagetum
Nationale
Naturlandschaften
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