Black Forest Topics of Discussion
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The Black Forest in Summary
The Name
Plants and Vegetation
Food Web
Pre-historical Forest Uses
Historical Forest Uses
Commercial Aspects of the Forest
Non-commercial Uses
Disease and Pests of the Forest
Natural Disaster Damage
Watershed
Government and the Forest
Major Issue Effecting the Forest
Recommendations
The Black Forest in Summary
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Location: sits in Baden-Wurttemberg in the southwestern region of
Germany
Description:
– A densely wooden mountain range with deep valleys and small
lakes
– Bordered by the Rhine valley and river to the west and south and
the Neckar River to the east
– Rectangular in shape: 160km long (99 miles) by 60 km wide (37
miles)
– Highest peak is in Feldberg, Germany with an elevation of 1,493
meters (4,898 feet)
The Name
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The German’s call the forest Schwarzwald
which directly translated to black forest.
The origins of the name dates back to the
Roman’s who called the forest Silva Nigra or
Silva Carbonara which is Latin for black, dark,
and murky forest. The Roman’s named the
forest this because of how densely packed
the tree where and how little light was able
to penetrate the canopy and foliage.
CANOPY
Black Forest predominately consists of a variety of Pine and
Fir trees with some Spruce: Common Juniper, European
Silver Fir, Douglas Fir, Norway Spruce, and Scot Pine
The trees that make up the canopy are different throughout
the forest due to the various elevation and soil changes of
the mountain.
UNDERSTORY
Due to the density of the
forest there is not much of an
understory or scrub layer. The
trees that due exist in this
layer are: Beech, Oak, Hazel,
Larch, Elm, Lime, Acer, Alder,
and other various Broad Leaf
trees.
GROUND COVER
Plants and Vegetation
There are a number of scrubs,
ferns, and grass that grow in the
shrub and herb layers. The valleys
of the forests are used for grazing
due to the quality of the grass.
Food Web
The Sperlingskauz (owl) eats all
types of small ground animals
such as mice, hedgehogs, and
rabbits; they will also eat other
birds too.
There are a number of predator birds
that live in the Black Forest such as
the Kolkrabe (raven) and falcons.
There are numerous birds that
live in and around the forests
such as rails, crakes, coots, and
gallinules.
There are many small
mammals and rodents
such as mice and
hedgehogs that roam
the forest floor eating
leaves and fruits.
The Western Capercaillie (Wood Grouse) is a
rare bird that has been fighting extinction
for years. It is a herbivore.
Eurasia Wolf are small
in population but do
roam the forest.
Wild boar, such as
Russian Boar, roam the
forest feeding off plants,
fruits, small animals, and
birds.
The European Wild Cat and
the recent reintroduction of
the Eurasian Lynx roam the
forest.
There is an
endless supply of
insects and the
Lumbricus
badensis (giant
earthworm) that
is only found in
the Black Forest.
There is a large population of
Red Tail Deer that primarily
roam and graze the open land
in the low lands
Pre-historical Forest Uses
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The appeal of the forest in ancient times was
how easily it was to defend; it was
impenetrable to invaders. It was depressing
and scary which warded out potential threats.
The forest provided an unlimited amount of
trees for building shelters and buildings as well
as an abundant amount of fuel for warmth
during the harsh winters.
The forest has the largest concentration of
thermal mineral springs anywhere in the
world. The Romans used these springs for
cleansing and relaxation, especially in the
winter months.
Thermal
Spring
Locations
Historical Forest Uses
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A tremendous amount of logging and
deforestation was conducted throughout the
Black Forest between the late 1800 and the mid
1900’s without any re-forestation for building
materials and fuel.
The appeal for Black Forest trees was due to
how straight and tall the trees grew with little
to no branches due to the density of the forest.
For many years the forest was also mined for
silver, iron, copper, and lead ore. At one time
there were ten working mines throughout the
forest.
Commercial Aspects of the Forest
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The Black Forest is well known for their
many, one of a kind, hand made wooden
carvings and crafts. They are most known
for their world famous for the Black
Forest Cuckoo Clocks.
Nearly all of their wooden crafts and
clocks are carved from the locally found
Linden (Lime) tree and are certified by
the Black Forest Clock Association.
Non-Commercial Uses
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The main industry revolves around tourism due to
the many historical towns and villages.
There are more than 23,000 km (14,000 miles) of
trails that cross-cross back and fourth throughout
the forest. These trails, due to the beautiful
scenery, attacked hikers, day walkers, and
mountain bikers.
The Black Forest is birth place of skiing in central
Europe. There are many ski resorts scattered
throughout the forest region that attract both
down hill and cross country skiers.
Disease and Pests of the Forest
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Acid rain has effected the Black Forest since the
1960’s by destroying nearly 50% of the forest.
Overall the trees are much smaller and weaker in
the forest making them susceptible to disease and
harsh winter conditions.
– This is directly contributed to Germany’s high
CO2 emissions output. Germany ranked 6th in
the world in 2008 by emitting 786,660 MtCO2
due to their enormous industrial output
throughout the region.
Due to the high acid region in the forest is why
majority of the Black Forest is now Pine trees. Pine
trees are known for their survival in acidic soil
conditions.
Natural Disaster Damage
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The Black Forest has had very little to no
forest fire damage over the years.
The Black Forest has sustained massive
amounts of damage from sever winter
storms over the years.
Two of the biggest storms to impact the
forest in recent years was Wiebke in the
winter of 1990 and Lothar in December of
1999.
Winter storm Wiebke destroyed over 14
million cubic meters of timber but Winter
Storm Lothar destroyed over 30 million cubic
meters of timber. Much of the area that
was damage in 1999 is still barren today. The
damage has compounded the already
weakened soil damage caused by acid rain.
Watershed
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The annual average precipitation
averages around 24.7 inches a
year with majority of the rain
during the late spring to early fall
months.
The Black Forest is part of the
continental divide between the
Atlantic Ocean watershed in the
west which is drained by the Rhine
River, and the Black Sea watershed
in the east which is drained by the
Danube River.
There are six rivers that originate
from the Black Forest: Danube,
Enz, Kinzig, Murg, Neckar, and
Rench.
Rhine River
Atlantic Ocean Watershed
Drains to the Atlantic Ocean
Black Forest
Danube River
Black Sea Watershed
Drains to the Black Sea
Government and the Forest
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In July 2008 German Parliament passed a new law
to reduce carbon dioxide emissions due to the
immense amount of carbon pollutants they were
creating from unregulated industry and automobiles
emissions; these where directly contributing to the
wide spread damage to German forests and ecosystems.
Their goal is to double their dependence on
renewable clean energy sources. In September 2010
German Parliament adopted long term target goals
of cutting energy efficiency 20%, reducing emissions
40%, and increasing their dependence on solar and
wind to 30% by 2020.
In 2010 Germany supplied 17% of its power using
renewable energy with majority of it coming from
wind and solar. Germany is among world leaders in
wind and solar technology and usage today.
Major Issue Effecting the Forest
The biggest issue effecting the Black Forest is the affects of acid
rain. The forest is a fraction of what it was 50 years ago and
continues to shrink. As you can see in the chart, the majority of
German industry is in the southern part of the country which
contributes significantly to the amount of pollution in the south.
Even though German Parliament has finally passed a law to start
reducing carbon emissions it is a phased approach that is
spaced out over a period of years and even decades. To
complicate matters further German corporations, especially the
automobile industry, routinely hinder legislation that governs
their use of energy and pollution output. To pile on to the
amount of pollution in the south you must also factor in the
large industrial zone of France that is immediately to the west
of Germany, and the Black Forest, as well as the Alps to the
south that acts like a barricade “holding in” the pollution by
preventing it from dispersing quickly. The effects of the acid has
not only damaged the trees but it has also reduced the
population of many wild animal species native to Germany and
the Black Forest due to reduced natural habitats, food, and
shelter. The Black Forest has suffered so much damage over the
years, and the acid levels in the soil are so high, that it makes it
nearly impossible to rebuild the forest quickly. Until the
pollution is completely under control it will continue to produce
acid rain which will further degrade the forest, the soil, and the
wild life.
Recommendations
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German Parliament needs to tighten up the laws that
regulate the amount of carbon dioxide emission output
across the country. They have the research and statistics
that clearly reflect the damage that the pollution is causing
to not only the Black Forest but to all the forests
throughout Germany and Europe.
The forest managers need to expand the forest; it used to
be nearly ten times the size it is now and they need to
nearly double it by planting new stands of trees to the
north and east of the current forest.
The foresters need to start putting more money and effort
into treating the high, barren grounds of the forests that
have sustained the most acid damage. They could start
introducing pulverized limestone to start to reduce the
amount of pH leaves along with heavily seeding the areas
with trees, like conifers, that have a high survival rate in
acidic soil.
By expanding the forest it will help facilitate an natural
increase to the native wildlife currently in the forest. It will
also allow the foresters and Germans to re-introduce many
of the trees, vegetation, and wildlife that has been extinct
in the area, such as lynx, over the years. They have started
to do this but they could increase their efforts.
References
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Avro, Samuel. Why Solar Panels are Cheaper in Germany. Consumer Energy Report.
25 October 2012. Web. 7 December 2012.
“Black Forest (LHA) Weather, Germany Weather Averages. World Weather Online.
Web. 10 December 2012.
Butler, Rhett. Germany-Forestry Agriculture. Mongabay.com. 2010. Web. 30
November 2012.
Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Black Forest. Encylopedia.com. 2012. Web. 3
December 2012.
Dempsey, Judy. Germany passes law aimed at reducing carbon emissions. The New
York Times, Europe. 4 July 2008. Web. 1 December 2012.
Deyette, Jeff. On the Road to Clean Energy in Germany: Lessons for the United StatesPart 1. Union of Concerned Scientists. 3 April 2012. Web. 7 December 2012.
Marcot, Bruce. Even-aged managed forest, Schwarzwald (Black Forest), Southwest
Germany. EPOW-Ecology Picture of the Week. 19-25 February 2007. 29 November
2012.
References
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PhiloPhax Internet and Lauftext. www.blackforestinfo.com Information around the
Black Forest in Germany. Web. 24 November 2012.
Rhoades, Heather. Fixing Your Soil When Soil Is Too Acidic. Gardening Know How.
2012. Web. 5 December 2012.
Schwarzwald Black Forest. 130 years of tourism in the Black Forest. Schwarzwald
Tourismus GmbH. 2012. Web 28 November 2012.
“Thermal and mineral baths in the Black Forest.” Black-Forest-Travel.com. 26
November 2012. Web. 26 November 2012.
Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium. Acid Rain, Environmental Effects of Acid Rain.
Our Changing Planet. 2006-2011. Web. 22 November 2012.
“What is Acid Rain?” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 4 December 2012. Web.
6 December 2012.