Detailed management plans
For the three project regions management plans are completed in order to plan and conduct appropriate measures parcel by parcel. In these plans the method of performance is clearly illustrated. First, the starting situation of the flora, vegetation and habitat types as well as the habitat typical fauna (butterflies, birds) will be identified, processed and analyzed. The detailed plans are developed together with the competent authorities, forest owners and forest users.
The detail management plans represent for each of the three project areas when which measures are carried out in the project running time.
Land acquisition
The areas of the three project regions are owned by municipalities or privately. The owners have agreed to provide their land permanently the natural protection towards appropriate compensation. For areas of private property beside contractual agreements and compensation by payments there is the possibility of land acquisition by the country of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Implementation of measures
In the project areas, the following measures are to be implemented:
Felling of conifer forests
The clearing should be done as carefully as possible. In non-critical areas (dry, species-poor, easily accessible), large machines can be used. In valuable, environmentally sensitive areas (wet, species-rich herb layer) the cutting is to be performed by a more careful way of working through the use of rope tractors.
Cropping of scrubby areas
On areas for example, that have not been reafforrested after the great storms at the beginning of the 90s of last century, a gappy repopulation with woodland occurred as a result of waterlogging. Here the woodland is also to be felled and removed and the impact area is to be closed.
Goats at "cropping"
Treatment of the surfaces with forestry mulcher
After the woodland and forest residue removal, the surfaces must be treated with a forestry mulcher. The remaining stumps and root crowns are crushed completely. The prepared areas are now ready to be developed to species-rich open land biotopes.
Closing of drainage channels
Fast running off/drainage of the water from the project area is prevented by closing the drainage channels.Thus it remains in the area and the original water regime is restored.
Renaturation of forest paths
The renaturation of forest paths is to contribute calming the project areas and to offer in particular sensitive species an undisturbed living space.
Resettlement of desired plant communities
The resettlement is to be carried out primarily by the so-called "Mähdruschverfahren". In doing so material of suitable areas is harvested with seed-ripe and is applied directly on the prepared areas. The applied material is containing the desired seed, which can unfold at its new location. By this method, the state of biodiversity of the areas is accelerated.
Another effective, but laborious possibility of the seed spreading is the collecting of the seeds by hand and following distributing on the area/surface.
Maintainance of the areas
For the new created open land areas a permanent maintainance and management must be guarenteed. Detailed maintaining and management concepts for each project area ensure that for every single parcel it is fixed, which kind of management leads to optimal success. It is intended that on the one hand long-term management contracts with conditions or contracts under the contractual nature conservation (EAFRD) are signed with regional local farmers. With the completion of these contracts a long-term nature conserving management and the development of the open land areas into species-rich habitats is guarenteed on the other hand.
Monitoring
The assessment of the initial situation of the vegetation, flora and fauna, is the basis for the monitoring. The effectiveness of the measures is evaluated by regualur accompayning investigation (standardised monitoring).
In addition to flora and vegetation the habitat-typical bird and butterfly fauna is recorded, in order to be able to document the effects of the measures on the development of the populations of the value giving species in the project areas.
For the phytological investigations continuous squares are put on for surfaces of different environment and checked annually. Thus it is possible to compare and demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the respective actions, depending on the measures and initial conditions.