Black Forest, Germany
48.2775° N, 8.1860° E
About this Project: Hello everyone, welcome to my story map! This project is about the Black Forest in Germany. I created this story map to provide a visually pleasing and interactive form of media to learn more about the climate, forest ecology, successional patterns, roles of animals, and adaptations in the region. I hope the story map provides you with insight on the geography of this region and excites you to learn more about forests. Thanks for checking it out!
Study Area: The Black Forest is located in mountainous terrain in the southwest region of Germany called Baden-Wuerttemberg. The forest spans a length of 166 kilometers ranging from northeast to southwest. The forest covers approximately 391,000 ha(hectares) and is primarily a deciduous forest. Throughout the region, the elevation ranges from 830m to 1493m. The mean annual temperature is from 5 to 7 degrees celsius. The mean annual precipitation is from 1500mm to 2100mm. This region is considered a temperate climate and the forest is a temperate seasonal forest. Temperate seasonal forests are associated with moderate climates and winter freezing. Typically, these climate zones have temperature ranges between 5 and 10 degrees celsius. The trees in temperate seasonal forests are adapted to colder winters and are freeze resistant.
Climate: The climate type for this region is temperate and cold. The average temperature in this region is 6.7 degrees celsius. Temperatures are highest in the month of July at 19.9 degrees celsius and are lowest in the month of December at -5.2 degrees celsius. The highest amount of precipitation occurs in may at 88mm. Local factors such as altitude, slope, exposure, and different physiographic features affect microclimates.
Biomes: The dominant biome is the temperate broadleaf forest biome which is also referred to as a deciduous forest. The most dominant tree species is the Norway Spruce, but the silver fir, common beech, and Douglas fir are common as well. Deciduous forests are prone to climate change due to their sensitivity to temperature change. Silver fir and Douglas Fir have better adaptive traits to survive drought and climate change.
Physiography: The Black Forest region is limited to the foothills in the western region of the Forest. The foothills in this region mark the outer edge of the Upper Rhine Basin. The regions of Ortenau and Breisgau divide the forest into highlands and lowlands. The maximum altitudes are located in the center of the southern part of the forest at 1,493 meters and 1,414 meters. The hydrography is quite intricate and dissected on the plateau of the Black Forest. The streams and rivers follow complex patterns in the physiographic features. The plateau influences the hydrography to flow south and west and into the Rhine valley in the north. Since the plateau has several peaks the water flows in sympathy with these regions. The Black Forest has unique physiography due to its change in elevation, large scale, and maritime influence from the mediterranean sea. Availability of snowmelt water and floodplains were impacted by elevation, aspect, and land cover. It was found that south-facing terrain contributed more water runoff than slopes that were north-facing. Runoff was also greater in areas that were less dense in vegetation and trees. The highest amount of snowmelt came from higher elevations because of higher amounts of precipitation. During the late pleistocene period, the southern Black Forest was covered by a 1000km2 glacier which shaped the valleys of this region. Glaciers in this region were highly dynamic and were affected by the landforms that ultimately constrained glacial patterns.
Vegetational Succession: Strict Forest Reserve Area
- Study area: The study was located in Baden-Württemberg in the Black Forest of Germany. The area is dense with strict forest reserves that enables natural and undisturbed development of forest vegetation.
- Half of the forest releves are associated with Beech and Ravine forests and the remaining releves were dominated by random forest communities with no dominant vegetation.
- Spruce became a prevalent species in a large clearing area southeast side of the study area.
- Beech is the most prevalent species and is seen as the long term and dominant species in the region.
- Species that occurred in 1986 were mainly grassland and shrub species, while in 2014 species were trees.
- The succession areas clearly developed from a grassland to a forest ecosystem.
- Spruce and Sycamore were also seen as prominent species and played an important role in succession rates toward a climax ecosystem.
Population Ecology: Pygmy Owls in the Black Forest
- Prior to World War 2, the Pygmy Owl was abundant in the Black Forest. After the war, there was a large amount of deforestation, which led to a change in the ecosystem.
- The Tawny owl became a dominant predator that migrated from the lowlands when the forest was logged.
- The population of Pygmy owls became extinct due to the deforestation and predator Tawny owls in 1967.
- One year late, the Pygmy owl was reintroduced through captive breeding which in return became successful. This was one of the only experiments where this was successful.
- The owls predominantly inhabited coniferous regions at higher elevations. The population is dense and was censused every year since the reintroduction of the species.
- Acid rain is reducing tree growth, which could make way for the Tawny owl to move back in. Population ecology is changing constantly and is affected by many factors of competition.
Topography:
Anthropogenic History:
The Black Forest has always had a large impact on population distribution and human geography. The Black Forest has been used for human use since the high middle ages when settlements began to expand into the woodlands. On a temporal scale, the forest has been used for logging since the beginning of the glass and metal industries in Germany. Logging was also widely used for fuel in homes and in agriculture expansion. It wasn’t until the 1900s that large-scale conservation efforts began in the region to protect these lands from logging and deforestation. In 1935, the National Nature Protection Law was passed in order to protect large natural areas and monuments. During the world wars there was huge interest in protecting public lands and German borders. The post war boom led to the forest being a pot of wealth and it was not until the 1970’s and onward that the forest began the process of becoming a national park. Many lumber companies and forest landowners opposed that the region would be a national park. Today, the Black Forest is one of the most visited areas in all of Germany. The forest has had a great influence on society in Germany at a local and national scale.