EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

acorns available for pig fattening. Th e beginning
of the 19th century already saw the
use of natural revegetation in the property.
Drainage was forced in order to extend the
area of cultivable land.
Th e beech was clearly dominant also in 1845,
with a high portion of over 100-year-old
stands. However, the surrounding forests
saw massive changes when the pine was
being promoted to a notable extent. Th e harvesting
of construction timber and fi rewood
was practised rather extensively from the
1950s. Its role was secondary especially in
times of the GDR State Hunts. Th ere
were massive interventions to control the
water balance. Mires and lakes were furnished
with inlets and effl uents. After the
State Hunts had been suspended, moufl ons,
roe deers, fallow deers, and red deers
began to have an impact on the vegetation
through browsing. Th e last minor silvicultural
interventions were carried out from
1979 to 1983 in the form of low thinning
(PAGEL 1970).
Th e present distribution of tree species in
the surroundings once again shows an increased
dominance of the beech. Grumsin
itself has survived as an almost intact deciduous
stand for a few hundred years.
PAGEL (1970) demonstrated that the beech
stands have developed from natural revegetation
throughout.
Today, Grumsin is part of the 6,100-ha
“Grumsiner Forst-Redernswalde” nature
conservation area. All utilisation was
suspended when it became a biosphere
reserve in 1990. A process protectioncompatible
hoofed game management was
implemented in 1998. Th e drainage constructions
are being reversed.
With 657 ha, Grumsin is the largest total
reserve within the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere
Reserve.
Natural disasters
In January 2007, the hurricane Kyrill tore
gaps into the crown canopy of the relatively
uniform beech forests. Th is has caused
an increase in natural forest structures and
accelerated the natural dynamism.
2.b.4 Hainich
Forest history
Analyses of pollen from the wider area of
Hainich have revealed that the beech has
been dominating the forest landscape for at
least 2,800 years, replacing the mixed oak
forests, which had been prevalent up to that
point. It was not before the early Middle
Ages that the beech was somewhat pushed
back in favour of the oak.
Human interference
Settlement history, documents, and historical
maps suggest that Hainich has survived
the major periods of deforestation in
medieval times largely intact. Th e lack
of water precluded permanent settlements.
Moreover, there were richer soils available
for agricultural use in the Th uringian
Basin. Major portions of Hainich's forests
were used as coppice with standards in
former times. Th ere is historical evidence
of forest grazing and selection forest use.
As a result of the increasing wood demand
of the growing population, the forest was
increasingly subject to utilisation. Th erefore,
fi rst rules were issued on how to treat
the forest in the 16th century. In the 18th
century, silviculture increasingly strove
for tall forests of high dimensions. Forest
grazing was restricted.
From the mid-19th century, middle forest
management became increasingly less
important in the face of the incipient in-
2. DESCRIPTION
Grumsin’s beech forests are
centuries-old deciduous
forest sites.
The beech has been dominating
Hainich's forests for
more than 2,800 years.
Nationale
Naturlandschaften
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