Meeting of the German Forest Association 2022: Field trip to Miele forest district of the Klosterforsten

Within the THOR project a wildfire prevention planning is carried out for ten concept areas in five federal states. One of these ten areas is the Miele forest district, which belongs to the Klosterforsten of the Hannover Klosterkammer. The Lower Saxon Academy for Fire and Disaster Control (NABK) is situated directly adjacent to the forest district. Both institutions work together to develop the Miele forest district into a teaching and training site regarding wildfire prevention.

During the meeting of the German Forest Association in Braunschweig a field trip took place to the Miele forest district on May 21, 2022, where many people had their say: starting with eyewitnesses of the great wildfire in 1975 (firemen Karl-Heinz Dehning and Hans-Joachim Maaß as well as forest worker Holger Göhlke), the introduction to the THOR project by Maja Bentele (Technische Universität Dresden) and explanations on the jurisdiction in Lower Saxony by Klaus Wickboldt (Lower Saxon Ministry of Interior), followed by the presentation of the AWFS wildfire monitoring system by Helmut Beuke (Lower Saxon Landesforsten), information on teaching activities at the NABK by Konstantin Götze and Frank Messenzehl (NABK) and on wildfire prevention and wildfire operation maps by Volker Schulte (wildfire agent) and Thomas Strothmann (firemen leader of the Celle county). In addition, a great number of firemen as well as the experts of the Wildfire Team e. V. presented their tools and special vehicles for wildfire prevention.

After lunch, which was kindly provided by the Klosterforsten, all participants went on a tour through the forest district, led by the district leader Jost Schonlau. Having all relevant people and information gathered together allowed for prolific discussions, which, again, came to the conclusion that wildfire prevention can only be successful if all parties collaborate. The basis for wildfire control in case of an emergency is the provision of appropriate forest structures and infrastructures. The regular maintenance of these structures and annual training sessions together with the fire brigades ensure optimal wildfire prevention.

The Miele forest district itself sets a good example. Even though the dry and sandy soils are mainly cultivated with pines from postwar times, other tree species such as black cherry, northern red oak and larch have been planted for some time and first positive results are visible. Forest aisles with a width of 15 to 20 m not only serve for hunting purposes but also offer driveways and installation sites for fire brigades in case of wildfires. A constantly increasing network of quench water sources, which are inspected annually, provides the necessary water. The regular pathways are also regularly maintained and the structure gauges are cut clear.  The team of the THOR project documents the current state and compiles suggestions for improvements in order to contribute to the development of the Miele forest district as teaching and training district in collaboration with the Klosterforsten and the NABK and for it to serve as a role model for practitioners in Germany in the future.

Many thanks to Constantin von Waldthausen and Jost Schonlau of the Klosterforsten for the great organisation and the friendly reception!