Forest ditches - evidence of 19th century forestry

Until around 250 years ago, there was hardly any organized forest management in Germany.
of the forests took place. Since the late Middle Ages, our forests had been
thinned out due to grazing and the collection of leaves as fodder and bedding for the cattle
and litter for the cattle sheds, and the soil was impoverished by the loss of humus. Uncontrolled
felling to meet the increasing demand for energy at the beginning of
the beginning of industrialization further contributed to the fact that our
formerly rich deciduous forests at the end of the 17th century.
devastated
and swamps and heathland covered large parts of the country.
It was not until the 18th century that attempts were made to compensate for the loss of woodland through the planned
conifers such as pine and spruce.
The fast-growing native deciduous tree species birch, aspen and alder were
were
unsuitable due to their poorer mechanical properties and were
and were even combated at times as "forest weeds".

However, while the original deciduous forests were adapted to the temporarily high
groundwater, the sensitivity of the spruce and pine trees to waterlogging required the extensive draining of the afforested areas by means of deep drainage ditches.
reforestation areas through deep drainage ditches. Even today
still run through the Offenbach forests today. As a result of more recent ecological insights and
the return to near-natural forest management with priority
with priority given to native deciduous tree species, most of these ditches are no longer
are no longer maintained today and can be regarded as evidence of a historical
of a historical landscape culture.

Changing water flow and embankments with different inclinations and
and exposure have created a variety of small habitats in a confined space.
have been created here. Extensive moss cushions cover nutrient-poor soils.
Permanently wet sections of ditch with stands of the rare peat moss have a bog-like character.
bog-like character. Under the overhang of grasses and ferns
small animals find good hiding places. Here, mice dig their burrows into the
in the ditch embankment, and newts, grass frogs and common toads seek out shady
shady and damp daytime hiding places under the roots, which they use at night to hunt
for worms, snails, woodlice and insects. In sections that carry water until
water until the summer, alpine newts, grass frogs and even the rare
the rare spring frog. ❚

Status August 2021

Text taken from the brochure "Offenbach and its waters - a relationship spanning more than a thousand years" from 2016