More old deciduous trees are to remain in the Hessian state forest, providing shelter for barbabie bats, stag beetles, dormouse and other species.

This is the most important point of the new nature conservation guideline, which Environment Minister Priska Hinz (Die Grünen) presented on Thursday in a wooded area belonging to the Königstein forestry office near Hofheim.

The agreement between the Ministry and the Hessen Forestry Agency is intended to help protect biodiversity and preserve the basis of human life.

In the future, an average of ten such so-called habitat trees will be allowed to stand on each hectare in deciduous stands for more than 100 years – instead of the three previously.

In special protection areas there should even be 15 such trees.

Florentine Fritzen

Correspondent in the Hochtaunus district

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The biodiversity crisis is the second major crisis in the world alongside the climate crisis, said the minister, who also referred to the "wonderful concert of birds" in the beech crowns.

"We want to be able to keep hearing that, to see bats flying in the twilight, to be able to take a deep breath in a forest on a hot day like today." Climate-stable mixed forests are good for the soul - and biodiversity.

“Revitalize” wet forests and forest bogs

In addition to preserving the old trees - Hinz also mentioned the Methuselah trees, which have a diameter of about one meter at chest height - the 70-page nature conservation guideline includes the plan to protect rare animals during the timber harvest.

The harvest period is shortened during the breeding season;

the protection zones around nests of black storks, for example, are increasing.

Forest bats should also be given special protection.

The previous guideline is almost twelve years old.

In view of climate change, the aim of the new agreement is to keep more water in the forest.

To this end, wet forests and forest moors are to be “revitalized”.

In addition, the foresters should protect springs and ponds so that fire salamanders and yellow-bellied toads do not disappear.

Combine timber harvesting with nature conservation

It took two years to finalize the agreement with trade associations.

The success does not lie in the fact that the guideline is now on paper, but in "the fact that the foresters implement it," said Hinz.

Stefan Nowack, Head of Forest Development and Environment at Hessen Forst, explained that a “new obligation” should apply to the existing local nature conservation concepts of the individual forest offices.

The concepts that have existed for more than a decade have not always been “lived” as desired.

Since 2020, employees of the state company have also committed themselves in a code to always keeping an eye on nature conservation in their daily work, such as harvesting wood.

Hessen Forst now wants to control this with certain key figures: "We also want to be measured."

Hinz and Nowack see no contradiction in the current fuel shortages in the new restrictions on timber harvesting.

As much wood as possible is currently being sold in the Hessen Forst districts.

When the market has calmed down again, it will be important to use wood primarily as a building material in order to permanently bind carbon dioxide and not to burn it again in chimneys.

The wood quality of habitat trees is usually not high enough for furniture and parquet anyway.