@misc{SchneiderRaabRaabetal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Raab, Thomas and Raab, Alexandra and Bonhage, Alexander}, title = {Legacies of past land use : mapping anthropogenic landforms in forest areas of eastern Bavaria, Germany}, series = {Geoarchaeology}, volume = {40 (2025)}, journal = {Geoarchaeology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley}, issn = {0883-6353}, doi = {10.1002/gea.22032}, pages = {1 -- 18}, abstract = {Reconstructing (pre-)historic land use distribution is essential for understanding past human societies and their impacts on the environment. Various land use forms result in distinct alterations of surface morphology, which are often well preserved but rarely described within forest areas. The interpretation of LiDAR Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) can greatly enhance our insight into the geoarchaeological records of woodlands. This study examines the legacies of past land use in forested areas of Upper Palatinate, Germany, utilizing LiDAR DEMs to map anthropogenic relief features. We comprehensively mapped land use legacy landforms (LULLs) that occur with considerable frequency in the study area, that is, former agricultural field systems, road remnants, abandoned ponds, relict charcoal hearths, mining legacies, and indicators of anthropogenically induced soil erosion. Results reveal that 17\% of the forested area is affected by LULLs, with the largest areas covered by former field systems, roads, and ponds. Characteristic LULL associations reflect past agricultural and charcoal production landscapes. While erosion indicators often coincide with field systems and roads, natural factors mainly influence their distribution. Comparison with historical maps suggests pre-19th-century abandonment of most LULLs and good preservation of anthropogenic relief modifications. Our results underscore the enduring impact of past land use on present woodland ecosystems and emphasize the importance of considering forest areas in the analysis of past human-landscape interactions.}, language = {en} } @misc{HirschSchneiderMaatenTheunissenetal., author = {Hirsch, Florian and Schneider, Anna and Maaten-Theunissen, Marieke van der and Maaten, Ernst van der and R{\"a}biger, Christin and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas}, title = {Soil properties and tree growth at medieval ridge and furrow sites in Brandenburg, northeastern Germany}, series = {Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science}, volume = {186}, journal = {Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science}, number = {4}, issn = {1436-8730}, doi = {10.1002/jpln.202200345}, pages = {417 -- 427}, abstract = {Background Ridge and furrow (RIFU) systems and associated soils are a widespread legacy of medieval agriculture, are archives of historical land use, and might affect recent ecosystems. Open questions about RIFU formation and potential legacy effects still exist, especially related to physical soil properties. Aims Our aims were (1) to characterize the soil properties of RIFU soils and (2) to compare the drought sensitivity and the growth resistance in extremely dry years of trees growing on ridges and furrows, respectively. Methods We studied soil physical (bulk density, saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, and texture) and chemical (soil pH, soil organic matter, and nitrogen content) properties and the climate sensitivity of tree growth on RIFU systems for three study sites in Prignitz, Germany. Results RIFU systems showed a high spatial heterogeneity of soil stratigraphy due to ridge construction and increased accumulation of soil moisture and organic matter in furrows due to post-abandonment pedogenesis. Slight spatial differences in soil physical properties were found, with increased air capacity in ridge soils and higher available water contents in furrow soils. No differences in drought sensitivity were observed for trees growing on ridges and furrows, except for a wet site, where trees in furrows showed a higher sensitivity. Resistance in dry years tended to be similar or increase from furrows to ridges. Conclusions The results reflect a spatial differentiation of stratigraphy and post-abandonment pedogenesis on abandoned RIFU systems and suggest an adaption to different moisture conditions through RIFU construction. Differences in drought sensitivity of tree growth with relative land surface could only be detected for one of the three sites, where trees were found to be less drought sensitive on ridges.}, language = {en} } @misc{BonhageRaabDrohanetal., author = {Bonhage, Alexander and Raab, Thomas and Drohan, Patrick and Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra}, title = {An initial geopedological survey and description of historic raised beds in north-western Ireland}, series = {Geomorphology}, volume = {481}, journal = {Geomorphology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, issn = {1872-695X}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109778}, pages = {1 -- 12}, abstract = {Raised Bed (RB) field structures in northwestern Ireland are historical relics of widespread agriculture before and during the Great Famine in the mid-19th century. Their primary purpose was to improve drainage on shallow, waterlogged soils for cultivation of crops. Today, the undulating surface morphology created by the ridges and furrows remains visible in many locations, raising questions about how many of these historic fields actually still exist, whether they are mappable, and if their soils have undergone persistent anthropogenic changes. In this study, we analyse three different RB sites located in varying topographical positions and on different parent materials. High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) are created using UAV-based photogrammetry to analyse the surface morphology and model surface flow accumulation and wetness. Soils are analysed using trenches and surface samples taken from ridges and furrows. Our results indicate that satellite or aerial imagery alone is insufficient for reliably detecting RB sites, as the height difference between ridges and furrows is too subtle. Ridge spacing and furrow depth are best observed using high-resolution DEMs (<50 cm cell size). The modelled surface hydrology suggests that the drainage function of RB sites remains, with furrows retaining more moisture than ridges. This can have significant implications for microhabitat structures within RB fields, potentially influencing faunal species composition and abundance. Furthermore, we find significant differences in specific elemental concentrations between soils on ridges and soils on furrows, as well as differences in grain size distributions. These findings indicate a wide range of potential legacy effects present in RB fields that merit further investigation.}, language = {en} } @misc{BonhageRaabRaabetal., author = {Bonhage, Alexander and Raab, Thomas and Raab, Alexandra and Schneider, Anna and Malik, Ireneusz and Wistuba, Malgorzata and Verschoof-van der Vaart, Wouter}, title = {Land use legacy landforms at the UNESCO Heritage Site Tarnowskie G{\´o}ry, Upper Silesia, Poland : stratigraphy, soils and age}, series = {Geoarchaeology}, volume = {40}, journal = {Geoarchaeology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Wiley}, issn = {1520-6548}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.22028}, pages = {1 -- 8}, abstract = {Metallurgy in Upper Silesia (Poland) has a long tradition of international significance, which was emphasized in 2017 when the historic silver mine in Tarnowskie G{\´o}ry was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The area consists of various anthropogenic landforms, the stratigraphy of which has hardly been studied so far. In this study, we describe five main morphological units: Unit I (RCH) and Unit II (RCH pit), resulting from charcoal production; Unit III (shaft) and Unit IV (shaft heap), resulting from mining; and Unit V (reference forest soil). The first four units are a variation of a Technosol with inherently different properties from the reference forest soil. Unit I exhibits typical properties of a relict charcoal hearth (RCH), whereas Unit II resembles a pit. Unit III consists of a mostly infilled mining shaft remain (MSR), characterized by relocated subsoil. Unit IV consists of material from the adjacent Unit III that has been dumped directly aside. The studied RCH was used no earlier than during the second half of the 17th century, probably between 1725 and 1813. The studied MSR was used most likely between the 3rd and 5th centuries, which is much older than described so far. Together, the units reflect the characteristic heterogeneity of soils in shaft mining and RCH areas.}, language = {en} } @misc{GerwinRaabHinzetal., author = {Gerwin, Werner and Raab, Thomas and Hinz, Christoph and Letmathe, Peter and Leuchner, Michael and Roß-Nickoll, Martina and R{\"u}de, Thomas and Trachte, Katja and W{\"a}tzold, Frank and Lehmkuhl, Frank}, title = {Perspectives of lignite post‑mining landscapes under changing environmental conditions: what can we learn from a comparison between the Rhenish and Lusatian region in Germany?}, series = {Environmental Sciences Europe}, volume = {35}, journal = {Environmental Sciences Europe}, issn = {2190-4715}, doi = {10.1186/s12302-023-00738-z}, abstract = {Background The decision of the German federal government to cease lignite mining until 2038 or—if possible— already earlier until 2030, will cause manifold transition processes in the remaining lignite mining districts of Germany. The two largest districts are located in geographically opposite regions: The Rhineland in the western part and Lusatia in the east of Germany. As particularly these two mining districts will experience severe changes in their socioeconomic as well environmental conditions, the federal government has adopted comprehensive economic support measures. However, the environmental changes will also cause altered ecosystem functions and services to be provided by the future post-mining landscapes. Results In this paper, the two main lignite-producing regions of Germany are compared with regard to their natural and cultural settings. The economic situation and its history are reflected and differences are outlined. Part of the disparities in the cultural development can be explained by very different natural conditions, especially edaphic factors and climatic situation. Because of dissimilar geological settings, different mining technologies were developed and are in use in the two regions with distinct effects on the resulting post-mining landscapes. Conclusion The long-standing and manifold lignite mining activities have radically restructured the landscapes in Lusatia and the Rhineland. With the ongoing decline of the mining industry and its complete cessation, presumably within the next decade, both regions will alter their faces significantly. These changes offer both challenges but also opportunities with respect to the post-mining landscapes and their ecosystem services they are going to provide. The prerequisites for a positive socioeconomic development and for sustainable land-use concepts that also consider ecological aspects are different for both regions. However, or especially because of these differences, the knowledge exchange and experience transfer between both mining regions are pivotal for the success of this extensive transformation process.}, language = {en} } @misc{HeinkenBlumroederAdhikarietal., author = {Heinken, Thilo and Blumr{\"o}der, Jeanette S. and Adhikari, Yojana and Balthasar, Cathrina and Binder, Anja and Birkhofer, Klaus and Bischoff, Antje and Brosinsky, Arlena and Bubner, Ben and Clerc, Danica and Djoudi, El Aziz and Dobkowitz, Sophia and Francke, Till and Gerwin, Werner and Hartong, Heinrich and Hess, Carsten and Jarling, Ren{\´e} and Jouy, Florent and Leinen, Loretta and Meißner, Andreas and Raab, Thomas and Repmann, Frank and R{\"o}nnefarth, Susanne and Schaaf, Wolfgang and Schirrmacher, Marina and Schmehl, Marie-Therese and Schmitt, Thomas and Schr{\"o}der, Jens and Sch{\"u}le, Maren and Sturm, Knut and Welle, Torsten and Ibisch, Pierre L.}, title = {PYROPHOB - A post-fire ecosystem research project to inform management for resilient forest development}, series = {Tuexenia}, volume = {44}, journal = {Tuexenia}, issn = {0722-494X}, doi = {10.14471/2024.44.004}, pages = {35}, abstract = {PYROPHOB (fire-resistant) is the name of an interdisciplinary research project that is running for five years from 2020 to 2025. In this project, eight institutions are investigating the ecological effects of wildfires and subsequent forest management strategies in pine forests (plantations) in Brandenburg (NE Germany), with the aim of formulating practical recommendations for managing fire-prone forests and the effective restoration of post-fire forest areas. We provide a brief overview of what is known about the effects of wildfire on abiotic and biotic parameters in temperate pine forests, as well as the effects of silvicultural treatments. To date, we know little about how different components of biodiversity are linked in post-fire forest ecosystems and how management affects their functioning. By describing the project, we illustrate the requirements for the implementation of such an applied research project. We emphasize the importance of the study design for dealing with interdisciplinary questions and for the quantitative synthesis of research results. The project comprises a set of standardised field plots in two wildfire areas covering different post-fire management options. Fifteen study sites were established, including two reference sites in unburned pine stands, each with ten study plots as replicates. In situ nitrogen mineralisation, litter decomposition tests and soil biological activity are used for soil biological characterisation. Microclimate data is measured continuously. Standing and lying dead wood and tree regeneration are recorded as key indicators of the success of forestry treatments. Further methods com-prise terrestrial laser scanning, remote sensing techniques as well as surveys of vegetation and above and below ground biomass. Identification of fruiting body-forming fungi, phytoparasites and ectomycorrhizal fungi is supported by marker gene sequencing. Faunistic indicators comprise predatory soil arthropods (pairs of emergence tents and soil traps), saproxylic beetles (flight traps and funnel traps), moths (automated window traps), mammals (camera traps), and breeding birds (visual and acoustic observation). We discuss the strengths and limitations of the project design. We are able to systematically capture short-term temporal shifts in parameters and trends in post-fire ecosystem development. Research in a real landscape with ongoing environmental changes and interventions pres-ents challenges for experimental design, data analysis and interpretation. The drivers of ecosystem development are rarely completely independent or perfectly balanced, and lack of replication is ine-vitable. The two fires did not occur in the same year and season, resulting in different initial conditions for the colonisation of the burned areas. Finally, a large part of one study area was again affected by a fire in 2022, which destroyed direct comparability with the other sites. Despite these obstacles the project has started to generate valuable results to address management and conservation challenges.}, language = {en} } @misc{GrandasTaveraRaabHolguinTrujillo, author = {Grandas Tavera, Camila and Raab, Thomas and Holguin Trujillo, Laura}, title = {Valorization of biogas digestate as organic fertilizer for closing the loop on the economic viability to develop biogas projects in Colombia}, series = {Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy}, volume = {4}, journal = {Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy}, doi = {10.1016/j.clcb.2022.100035}, abstract = {This study aims to find the best digestate valorization pathway in the Colombian context in order to foster biogas (BG) projects' economic viability and their sustainability. The GICON's BG power plant is intended to treat 19,710 t/y of fruit and vegetable wastes (FVW) from local wholesale markets in Cali, Colombia. Experimental feedstock and digestate characterization carried by Universidad ICESI and CIAT, integration of mass, energy, and nutrient balances of residues with the methodological approach based on structural analysis and expert's survey allowed further assessment of the BG project's economic viability on the proposed digestate valorization framework. Results suggested a significant profit by selling treated digestate through the vacuum evaporation (VE) technology. VE concentrated 27\% of nitrogen, 18\% of phosphorus, and 33\% potassium of the feedstock. Furthermore, it reduced the volume of water, facilitating product transportation and making the product commercially attractive. This alternative exhibited the highest revenue for the BG project, and its expenses were slightly higher than the ones calculated for raw and separated digestate. Also, a positive return of the investment and financially worthiness could be expected, making the project economically feasible. These results provide a useful tool to evaluate future events and serve as a reference to support the BG project's viability by integrating them with the BG project's financial model and adapt the required conditions for desirable technologies.}, language = {en} } @misc{JouySchueleAdhikarietal., author = {Jouy, Florent and Sch{\"u}le, Maren and Adhikari, Yojana and Binder, Anja and Clerc, Danica and Gerwin, Werner and Heinken, Thilo and Raab, Thomas and Repmann, Frank and R{\"o}nnefarth, Susanne and Schirrmacher, Marina and Schmehl, Marie-Therese and Schr{\"o}der, Jens and Ibisch, Pierre L.}, title = {Factors impacting the variability of post-fire forest regeneration in central European pine plantations}, series = {Restoration Ecology}, journal = {Restoration Ecology}, doi = {10.1111/rec.70017}, abstract = {Fire is increasingly posing a risk to forests and plantations, even in the temperate latitudes of central Europe. Little is known about fire ecology in this region, and therefore, appropriate approaches for the management and reforestation of burned sites are mostly lacking. In a Scots pine plantation region in Brandenburg (northeast Germany), the early tree regeneration of two nearby areas that burned 1 year apart was investigated. We observed that 3 years after the fire events, the forest in one study area showed a relatively high regeneration with a mean density of 7765 saplings/ha, clearly dominated by European aspen (93\%); whereas the other study area showed a lower mean density of 5061 saplings/ha, dominated by Scots pine (71\%) and aspen (15\%). Three years after the fires, the difference in aspen density was 11-fold between the two areas. We studied the effects of several variables about soil and environmental properties on the aspen establishment in these two study areas in the second and third years after the fire events. We found that the post-fire aspen regeneration was influenced by several factors, including soil texture, soil disturbance from forest management, volume of deadwood, and browsing. We also discussed that weather conditions during seed production and germination might have played a role in the difference in aspen establishment between the two study areas. We concluded that the post-fire forest regeneration potential in the study region is highly variable and could come under critical pressure as climate change progresses.}, language = {en} } @misc{SchmehlAdhikariBalthasaretal., author = {Schmehl, Marie-Therese and Adhikari, Yojana and Balthasar, Cathrina and Binder, Anja and Clerc, Danica and Dobkowitz, Sophia and Gerwin, Werner and G{\"u}nther, Kristin and Hartong, Heinrich and Heinken, Thilo and Hess, Carsten and Ibisch, Pierre L. and Jouy, Florent and Leinen, Loretta and Raab, Thomas and Repmann, Frank and R{\"o}nnefarth, Susanne and Rohlfs, Lilly and Schirrmacher, Marina and Schr{\"o}der, Jens and Sch{\"u}le, Maren and Vieth-Hillebrand, Andrea and Francke, Till}, title = {Monitoring abiotic and biotic parameters of forest regrowth under different management regimes on former wildfire sites in northeastern Germany - data from the PYROPHOB project}, series = {Earth system science data}, volume = {17}, journal = {Earth system science data}, number = {11}, publisher = {Copernicus GmbH}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {1866-3516}, doi = {10.5194/essd-17-6295-2025}, pages = {6295 -- 6313}, abstract = {We present the data recorded by eight institutions within the PYROPHOB project, running from 2020 to 2024 at two forest research sites in the south-west of Brandenburg, Germany. The aim of the project was to monitor abiotic and biotic parameters of forest regrowth under different management regimes on former wildfire sites in northeastern Germany. The observations comprised intermittent and continuous measurements or surveys on meteorological parameters (rainfall, temperature, vapour pressure deficit), soil (soil type and texture, soil chemistry and leaching, water content, soil temperature), deadwood, stand structure, vegetation regrowth, abundance of selected fauna (moths, beetles, mammals), UAV-based remote sensing (stand structure, spatial overview), and photo monitoring (succession). Thus, the multitude of collected data allows not only for detailed analyses of these observables separately, but also considering their interaction for a more multidisciplinary view on forest recovery after a wildfire. The data are available under the following DOIs: https://doi.org/10.23728/b2share.08a6a8b56f774a08a984871e7ef1b5a8 (Part 1, Schmehl et al., 2025a), under embargo until 31 March 2026 (Part 2, Schmehl et al., 2025b), https://doi.org/10.23728/b2share.de1661761da5481f938caf460e4f0ca9 (Part 3.1, Schmehl et al., 2025c), and https://doi.org/10.23728/b2share.51bdf4b6dc854873b6ff44fdddbf4c3b (Part 3.2, Schmehl et al., 2025d).}, language = {en} }