New research project on wildfire prevention in Harz National Park

The HarzWB project titled "Wildfire risk and prevention in Harz National Park and adjacent commercial forests (500 m) as case study for low mountain ranges in Germany" is an important contribution by the Chair of Forest Protection to new scientific knowledge on wildfire prevention. The overall objective of this research and development project is the avoidance of wildfires and the provision of suitable conditions for wildfire prevention in low mountains ranges, in particular in Harz National Park. To conduct this research, a close collaboration with the local cooperation partners is necessary, since they hold the expertise of their particular fields of work. Therefore the Chair of Forest Protection will collaborate with the Heyrothsberge Institute of Fire and Catastrophe Protection (Saxony-Anhalt), the Harz National Park, the Saxony-Anhalt Center for Forests and the Lower Saxony State Forest Company. Information on fireload and fire dispersal in the project region as well as on forest parameters and forest infrastructure for wildfire prevention are recorded and described in order to be able to estimate the risk of potential wildfires. The Harz National Park holds hazardous infrastructures such as the Harz narrow-gauge railway, which have to be considered when developing prevention measures. Furthermore, options for a provision and application of quench water have to be prepared that are suitable for low mountain ranges.