ACROSSLEIPZIG'SCITY FOREST

CONNEWITZERHOLZ

City of Leipzig

EDITOR:

ANDREAS SICKERT

SIMONE NEUMANN

PHOTOS:

HEIDE KÜNNEMANN

LOTHAR SCHNITZER

FORSTARCHIV

LAYOUT AND SETTING:

LOTHAR SCHNITZER

ANGELIKA KRETZSCHMAR/ ENGL.

TRANSLATION:

CHRISTOPH STRAUSS

Wildpark LeipzigFOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY !21.01.2007

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When the Allied Troops approached the city at the endof World War II, the enclosures were opened andlater removed. In 1972, the City Council decided on re-establishing the Wildpark and in 1979 it was re-openedon a much larger scale.Today it houses animals that live or used to live in thesurroundings of Leipzig. 250 animals of 40 differentspecies are shown. The natural design of enclosuresgives animals the chance to maintain their naturalpatterns of behaviour. Red and fallow deer as well asmoufflon (ovis ammon musimon) share the biggestenclosure.In addition, there are spacious enclosures for roe deer(capreolus capreolus), wild boar (sus scrofa), moose(alces alces) and European Bison (bison bonasus).The lynxes (felis lynx), common otters (lutra lutra),wild cats (felis silvestris), racoons (procyon lotor), redfoxes (volpes volpes) and the European mink

protective breeding of European mink.The outside classroom ("Klassenzimmer im Grünen")can be used by school classes, which gives theopportunity for practical and direct experiences duringlessons.The nearby farm of domestic animals, which is operatedby a private owner, is a point of attraction especially forchildren and families.The young children can ride ponys, while there is alsothe possibility of going for a coach ride through theWildpark.Drinks and meals can be taken at the teahouse, it wasbuilt in typical Russian wood block construction or atthe Wildpark restaurant which is rather of a rusticstyle.

LOCATION No. 13Playground "Märchenburg" (Castle of fairytales)

The playground, which is situated on the road named"Die Linie" is one of three playgrounds in the Wildparkarea. It was built in 1978 and has been very popularsince then.

(The fairy tale sculptures werecreated by the woodcarverMichael Linde.)

(mustela mutreola) are also kept in open-airenclosures.Pine and beech martens (Martes martes/ martesfoina), polecat (mustela putorius), stoat (mustelaerminea), several species of song-birds, differenttypes of owls (strigiformes) and raven (corvus corax)can be seen in aviaries.Predatory birds (falconiformes) such as red kite(milvus milvus), buzzarts (bueto bueto) and goshawk(accipiter gentilis) are held in bird shelters.Several aquatic birds share their habitat in the frogpond. Beside the presentation of wild living animals theWildpark attends tothe breeding ofendangered speciessuch as the Europeanbison and the Euro-pean mink to preventtheir extinction. TheWildpark is a memberof the EuropeanAssociation for thebreeding of EuropeanBisons and takes partin the programme for

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ExcursionacrossLeipzig's City forest

CONNEWITZER HOLZ

We hope you'llrelaxing and interestingvisit in the "Leipziger Auenwald"

LOCATION No. 1Buildings of the City Woodlands Division

Possibilities for the utilization of timber shown inexamples at the City Woodlands Division(Dieser Exkursionspunkt kann nur während derDienstzeit nach Voranmeldung bei der Stadt-forstverwaltung besichtigt werden!)

The utilizing of natural raw materials close to theirgrowing location ("regional circles") and the use ofregenerative raw materials for heating andconstruction (reduction of CO²-emissions) is a directcontribution to environmental protection. Besides, theCity of Leipzig sets an example in the use ofadvanced and environmentally friendly technologiesand the utilization of regenerative raw materials.

Production of firewood

Due to the conversion of household heating from solidburning materials (lignite, fuelwood) to gas or oilheating the requirements for fuelwood fellcontinuously. On the other hand the demand forfirewood use in fireplaces rose, on account of the factthat many citizens installed fireplaces in their newlybuilt homes. These fireplaces hardly serve for heating

purposes. Rather, they are a luxury for theembellishment of living space.Additionally the City of Leipzig runs four campfiresites which firewood is supplied.

Processing of timber wood with the help of atransportable bandsaw

For the convenient use of several types of wood thatare hard to sell and also for meeting the requirementsof the City Administration in sawn timber products,

The excursion in the Connewitzer Holz (southernAuenwald) starts and ends with the buildings of theCity Woodlands Division, the so called "FilterConnewitz".The name "Filter" which relates to the buildings on theone hand and the surrounding ranger district on theother, derives from the fact that in earlier days thearea used to be the place of origin of water supply forthe village of Connewitz. Apparently at this point thewater was filtered through a gravel filter before it wasused.T oday they are situated at the location of theadministration buildings of the City Woodlands Divisi-on, a technical site belonging to the City ForestDistricts Connewitz and Leutzsch and to the Area ofLocal Recreation, different storage buildings and amodern joiner's workshop belonging to the admini-strative division of the Parks and Recreation Office.The processing of logs and the sale of wood andtimber is also managed here by the Area ofCoordination.

The Leipzig Woodland Division frequently arrangesexcursions dealing with different topics to introduceLeipzig's City Forest and the protected landscape"Leipziger Auwald" (Leipzig floodplain forest).The materials on hand serve to deliver the mostimportant facts and background knowledge.

LOCATION No. 10Dep. 233 a, Connewitz DistrictExperimental site for floodings

Since the big water regulation activities in the year1936, the yearly flooding of the Leipzig flood plainstopped. This led to a change in the composition ofspecies and even more to a change in the regenerationof stands.

By damming and releasing water up stream on arelatively small scale, flooding is simulated for shortperiods of time. Significant disadvantage of this processis the lack of typical flood plain sedimentation since theflooding is carried out with clear water and not with floodwater that carrys high loads of sediments. Yet there is anotable shift in the composition of species inregeneration. Especially the amount of acerregeneration decreases due to its flood intolerance.

LOCATION No. 11Dep. 231 a3, Connewitz DistrictThe so called „Paußnitzlache“

The city of Leipzig is undertaking extensive efforts torevitalize its running waters. This location is a former

arm of a river which was cut off from the main riverduring the beginning of the 20 th century until 1993. In1993, muddy sediments were thoroughly excavated andthe arm was again linked to the main river system.T oday it is a very valueable biotope, which acts ashabitant for species that are nearly extinct in the floodplain forest (especially batrachians). A differentcomposition of species can also be observed in thisbiodiversity increases location which leads to an overallecologically richer structure of the Leipzig flood plainforest.

LOCATION No. 12Leipzig Wildpark (game park)

South of Leipzig, only a few kilometres from the city'shurly burly, the Leipzig Wildpark, which is openduring all seasons, stretches out on an area of 42hectares. The Wildpark includes spacious enclosureswhich are designed closely to replicate natural livingspacesIn 1904, the city of Leipzig received fallow deer(dama dama) as a present from Jacob, the owner ofa Leipzig mill. The animal bred well and from 1906on they were fenced in on the present location of theWildpark. Very soon wild boar (sus scrofa) and reddeer (cervus elaphus) were added and the restaurantwas established.

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a transportable bandsaw was bought. Although theyearly amount of 500 m³ of processed timber isrelatively small, it provides the City with sicnificantsavings of funds that would otherwise be spent onbuying timber products. Main products are materials

LOCATION No. 2Stand of common beechin the Filter Connewitz district

The Leipzig floodplain forest is not the natural habitatof the common beech (fagus silvatica). Therefore thespecies is not able to regenerate in a natural way.Furthermore the quality of the timber is poor due tothe white rot wich frequently occurs in the inside of thetree. The species has been planted in the foodplainforest for the last 200 years, in the hope of increasingthe harvest of forestal management. Another reasonfor the planting of experimental stands was theimprovement of thelandscape.Beech trees havelimited influence onthe ecosystems ofthe floodplain forest,especially if theywere planted asmonocultures. Due tothe high groundwater table the treesdo not growcordiform roots, whichare typical forcommon beech, butconcentrate the rootsystem directly underthe surface. Thisleads to an increasedextraction ofnutrients andoxygene in the topsoil layer. Leaf litter does not rot asquickly as in stands of hardwood typical to thefloodplain which results in a relatively large layer oforganic material. This layer is not representative oftypical floodplain environment and stops the growth oftypical floodplain geophytes. Another change is theintense shading by the dense beech growns whichprevents the regeneration of shade intolerant trees andalso leads to the decrease of other thermophile plantsand animals.

In the future it is planned to reduce Common Beechstands especially in sites where they compete withprecious English Oak and where regeneration sites areneeded.

8Dep. 217 a4, Connewitz DistrictCertified common alder(alnus glutinosa) seed production stand

Over the last few decades the common alder specieshas been badly neglected by silvicultural practice.Hence, in resent times it is increasingly cultivated onsites with suitable conditions.This species is light demanding, which means that itcan only be grown on forest margins and in largerfemel gaps.The planting stock is raised out of seed that has itsorigin in the Leipzig flood plain forest.

LOCATION No. 9Dep. 216 a5, Connewitz DistrictExample of a femel gap

As mentioned several times before the cultivation oflight demanding tree species such as English oak orcommon alder is only possible if there are areas forregeneration which have a high input of light femd gaps.Therefore it is necessary to create large gaps in thecanopy with a diameter of more than 30 metres into thestand and to take out the semi shade-tolerant trees,which start to grow in the gap. These action areimportant to support the growth of both of the plantedspecies of trees.

for benches and fences as well as other boards andpoles. A second advantage is the possibility ofproducing only small amounts of required materials.

Wood chip heating plant

A woodchip heating plant was installed for thebuildings of the City Woodland Division to use thewood that arises from forest tending operations androadwork as well as residues from the processing ofraw timber.

Significant costs that would otherwise be spent onheating fuels can be saved. The plant has a capacityof 150 kWh and a consumption of about 200 m³ ofwood chips (100 m³ of solide volume) per year.Hence, all buildings of the City Woodlands Division(except for the "Barn") are supplied with fuel that isproduced in a CO²-neutral way.

This system of cutting the big oaks, results in theirspecial form which can still be noticed. Up to theheight to which the coppice has grown, trees have afairly straight form without branches. Above, atapproximately 10 -15 metres, they have developed awide crown, which is comparable to those of parktrees.After giving up the coppice with standarts systemtrees like ash, acer and elm grew from the lowerstorey into the top canopy where they shadowedparts of the crown which led to the dying off of thebig lower branches. Dead branches and branch scarscan still be seen as reminders of this process.If big oaks were not freed from the pressure causedby the competition of shade tolerant and semi-tolerant tree species which shoot up, they wouldcertainly wither and potentelly die in the foreseeablefuture.Whithout limited intervention human no naturalregeneration would be possible.Since the margins of the Leipzig floodplain are notcovered with forest, rare species of animals, that aredependant on the English oak could not migrate toother areas, with the result that they would certainlyvanish also.

The conservation and proper care of English oakstands is therefore necessary if they are to survive.

LOCATION No.

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LOCATION No.

LOCATION No. 4

In the City forest, several stands of trees that areincluded in the Bundessaatgutgesetz (Federal seedlaw) were certified as seed production stands. This is avery important economic fact, because seed producedin certified sites is highly sought after an can attracthigh prices. Hence, the sale of seed is one of thebiggest sources of income for the City WoodlandsDivision. Furthermore the City Woodland Division aimsparticularly at cultivating plants in the flood plain forestwhich are of local origin. Therefore a large proportion ofthe seeds are used for our purposes in regenerating theforest.

However, it is not planned to fell each and everybeech in an indiscriminate manner. Due to theirappearance they are an enrichment of the landscapeaesthetics. Numerous holes in beech trees can serveas brooding and breeding spaces for rare species ofbirds.

Research point of the Umwelt-forschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle GmbH(Centre of Environmental Research Leipzig-HalleLtd.)Dep. 219 f, District Connewitz

At this locality research into precipitation, (rainfall)waterunder different circumstances (collection of precipitationunder open sky and under the canopy), as well ascollection of stem flow is undertaken. Looking at thebore pits a very specific attribute of the floodplain soilscan by noticed: Due to the material which wasaccumulated duringthe annual flooding ahumous topsoil layercan not begenerated. Instead,a loamy alluviallayer is sedimentedwhich shows athickness of 0,5 to 4metres.This alluvial layeraverages 2 metresof thickness.Values of pH-levelsnormally varybetween 6 and 7.Nutrient supply isvery good. Theseattributes are theprecondition for the growing of high-quality hardwoods,which are common in floodplain forests and which havea high fertility class. Due to high pH-levels a veryquick composition of leaf-litter can take place.Therefore only fresh litter remains on the surface ofthe loamy floodplain soil.A typical regenerating situation can be observednearby the research point of the Centre of Environ-mental Research. Without the normal annual floodingthe regeneration consists of different species of maple(acer). Additionally there is a high level of regenerationof elm (ulmus) and common ash (fraxinus excelsior). Inplaces, there are regenerations of small-leafed lime (tiliacordata).The species of English oak (quercus robur) has no

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chance for natural regeneration without humanintervention, which can be seen at this locality. Eventhough, as in 1999 after a mast year, many oaksgerminated, although died after a short period of timedue do light deficiency.Therefore this species must be actively cultivated. Tomeet the light requirement of the oak trees it isnecessary to cut a gap by the method of groupselection (wich has to have a diameter of at least 30to 50 metres).

Dep. 217 a5 District ConnewitzCertified oak seed produktion stand(quercus robur)

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LOCATION No. 5

POSITION No.

Dep. 217 a4, Connewitz District

One of the last strong elms (ulmus laevis/ ulmusminor) in the Leipzig city forest

Diameter at breast height: 0,68 mheight: 23 mAge (estimated): 130 yearsComact wood mass: 4,2 m³

In 1921, the dying of elms was first noticed. In thesixties, the situation worsened considerably and led to

the disappearance of almost all stands of strong andvaluable elm trees. While in 1958, the percentage ofelm trees was 13 %, and today is 0 %. In 1998, actionwas taken to register all remaining elms with adiameter at breast height of more than 30 cm.Only 315 trees were counted !!!One fact that can be noted is that although the elmhas disappeared out of the top canopy the species isstill widely spread due to regeneration. However,most of the regeneration dies at the young polewoodstage.This early age death of the tres is potentially due to thechanges in light, soil moisture and soil types.

LOCATION No. 7Dep. 217 a4, Connewitz DistrictStrong English oak (quercus robur) from the timesof coppice with standards forestry in the Leipzigflood plain forest

Diameter at breast heigh: 1,82 mheight: 24 mAge (estimated): 500 yearsCompakt wood mass: 31 m³

The oak which can be seen at this location is one of thebiggest English oaks in the Leipzig City Forest. Thebiggest and probably oldest example is situated in the"Rosental" (northern Auenwald). Its diameter at breastheight is 2,07 metres, its height 31 metres, its age isaround 500 years and the total wood mass adds up toapproximately 52 cubic metres.This species of the English oak ais an examples of atree that carry a lot of dead wood, and one of theecologically most valuable elements of the Leipzigfloodplain forest. They are extremely important forseveral species of birds and beetles that live in deadbranches. The City Woodlands Department thereforeaims at not only securing the stands of English oak butalso at increasing their proportion. At present theproportion of English oak is around 20 %. While theproportion of oak during the middle of the 19 th centurywas around 60 %, today the aims is for 40 %.Until the middle of the 19 th century, the Leipzig floodplain forest consisted of coppice with standarts system(Mittelwaldbewirschaftung), which means that a fewoverhead trees (oaks) were left which could later beused as construction material.The lower storey was made up of root and coppiceshoots of aspen (populus tremula), hornbeam(carpinus betulus), lime tree (tilia) and elm (ulmus).For the production of fuelwood this lower storey wascut every 15 to 20 years.(seen also diagram "Mittelwaldbewirtschaftung" ... )

Mystery Forest

North of the sports field in the Connewitzer Holz thereis a woodlot stand which is istructure and composition,very different from the rest of the flood plain forest. All ofthe box elders (acer negundo) which grow in thislocation seem to grow diagonally towards the centre ofthe area. The City Woodlands Division is frequentlyasked for the reason for this phenomenon. There werecalls by people who claimed "mystical vibrations".The Leipzig TV station started some research andengaged a teacher of Feng Shui who confirmed theexistence of vibrations.As an explanation she mentioned the fact that theplace used to be an initiation place for adolescentsseveral thousand years ago, and that it still has anaura of positive energy. Since the origin of the boxelders (acer negundo) is North America. Some peoplehave formed the belief that the trees grew in the formof a tipi to remind them of their North American home.Believe it or not ... !

The scientific explanation is very simple. Box elders(acer negundo) is a species of trees that demonstratesa strong phototropism, which means that it growstowards the source of light. The tree grows in a formenahle as many leaves as possible to capture light.

Since the area is surrounded by very high trees whichleft the least shaded place in the centre of the gap,the elders all grew towards the centre.The area was forested after the digging out of thePleiße river, where the sedimentswere spread out onthis area. Box elders were chosen because no othertrees had been available in the planned economy of theGDR (German Democratic Republic).At this point there is also a lot that may be said aboutthe establishment and cultivation of foreign treespecies.Especially after the Napoleonic Wars, tree speciesnot typically found in the floodplain forest wereincreasingly cultivated in the area of the Leipzig floodplain. One aim was to achieve higher yields, the otheraim was to manage the landscape and therefore tohave an influence on landscape attributes. Oftentrees were chosen that prefer similar conditions intheir home territory to the existing conditions of theLeipzig flood plain forest which means that they aresuited but still alien to this site. Although they cancope with climatic, hydrologic and geomorphologicalfactors their integration into existing ecosystems is to alarge degree, unsatisfactory. Examples of thesespecies are the red oak (quercus rubra), the pin oak(quercus palustris), the white hickory (carya) and theblack walnut (juglans nigra).Then again other species were cultivated which werenot suited to the site. These trees can hardly (or not atall) cope with climatical, hydrological andgeomorphological factors and show an unsatisfactorydevelopment or have a negative influence on thewhole ecosystem. These include trees whose naturalrange is in Central Europe, as for example thecommon beech (facus silvatica), the scots pine (pinussilvestris), and the Norway spruce (picea abies).Under natural circumstances these species would notexist in the Leipzig flood plain forest.

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