Kontrollierte Feuer in Natur und Landschaftspflege: - Erfahrungen aus dem Mittleren Schwarzwald (Raumschaft Schramberg) und den mediterranen Pyrenäen (Pyrénées Orientales/Region Prades) Südfrankreichs

The expansion of scrubland and forest threatens the biodiversity of many European cultural landscapes. Prescriped fires (controlled burning), applied within scientific landscape management, can mitigate ecological consequences of scrub encroachment, such as the loss of open-space habitats and biodiversity. Early observations from 2002—including over 40 wildfires in the French Vosges and a major fire in Thüringen’s Münchenrodaer Grund—highlighted the growing risk of masse combustible (combustible biomass/fuel loading) accumulation in Central European forests. This issue is projected to worsen with climate change, particularly in drought-prone regions like Brandenburg’s pine forests or the forests of Upper Rhine Graben. Reducing combustible biomass through controlled burns significantly lowers the risk of uncontrollable wildfires in vulnerable regions, including Mediterranean France and Italy, as well as German areas like the Black Forest. In the Central Black Forest, declining traditional agriculture has led to scrub overgrowth, endangering vital open spaces for flora and fauna. A research project by the University of Mannheim’s Geography Institute investigates the use of controlled vegetation fires to preserve these threatened landscapes. ... mehrWhile three burn experiments were conducted, restrictive permitting by authorities hindered further scientific analysis. Ongoing Franco-German collaboration aims to gather scientific insights from the French Pyrenees, where large-scale, professionally managed controlled burns are routinely implemented.