TY - GEN A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Biemelt, Detlef A1 - Winter, S. A1 - Fischer, Annette A1 - Veste, Maik A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. T1 - Overview and first results of ecological monitoring at the artificial watershed Chicken Creek (Germany) T2 - Physics and Chemistry of the Earth Y1 - 2011 SN - 1873-5193 VL - 36 IS - 1-4 SP - 61 EP - 73 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Krümmelbein, Julia A1 - Schneider, Anna A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Naeth, M. Anne T1 - Initial Ecosystem Processes as Key Factors of Landscape Development - A Review T2 - Physical Geography Y1 - 2012 SN - 1930-0557 VL - 33 IS - 4 SP - 305 EP - 343 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Hinz, Christoph A1 - Letmathe, Peter A1 - Leuchner, Michael A1 - Roß-Nickoll, Martina A1 - Rüde, Thomas A1 - Trachte, Katja A1 - Wätzold, Frank A1 - Lehmkuhl, Frank T1 - 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? T2 - Environmental Sciences Europe N2 - 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. KW - Lignite mining KW - Ecosystem services KW - Post-mining landscapes KW - Transformation processes Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-023-00738-z SN - 2190-4715 VL - 35 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Jouy, Florent A1 - Schüle, Maren A1 - Adhikari, Yojana A1 - Binder, Anja A1 - Clerc, Danica A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Repmann, Frank A1 - Rönnefarth, Susanne A1 - Schirrmacher, Marina A1 - Schmehl, Marie-Therese A1 - Schröder, Jens A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - Factors impacting the variability of post-fire forest regeneration in central European pine plantations T2 - Restoration Ecology N2 - 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. Y1 - 2025 UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/rec.70017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.70017 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Hinz, Christoph A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Lehmkuhl, Frank T1 - Editorial for the Special Issue “Anthropogenic Geomorphology – Geomorphology in the Anthropocene” T2 - Geomorphology Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108528 SN - 0169-555X VL - 422 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Pohle, Ina A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Hinz, Christoph A1 - Badorreck, Annika T1 - Water Balance Dynamics during Ten Years of Ecological Development at Chicken Creek Catchment T2 - Vadose Zone Journal N2 - Difficulties in quantitatively closing the water balance of catchments arise when upscaling point measurements and from insufficient knowledge of the physical boundaries, inner structure, and storage volumes of natural catchments. In addition, there is a strong need for generalizing the relationship between catchment characteristics and hydrological response. Therefore, experimental catchments with well-known boundaries and conditions could contribute valuable data to hydrological and critical zone research. One of the most well-established and largest constructed catchments is the Chicken Creek catchment (6 ha including a pond, Brandenburg, Germany) representing an initial ecosystem undergoing highly dynamic ecological development starting from clearly defined starting conditions. Directly after completion of the construction, extensive monitoring equipment was installed to track the ecosystem development and to capture the spatiotemporal variability of meteorological, hydrological, ecological, and soil conditions and vegetation succession. In this study, we focused on the water balance dynamics of the Chicken Creek catchment for the period 2005 to 2015 as influenced by ecological development. Water storage in the catchment was calculated from a three-dimensional model of groundwater volumes, soil moisture measurements, and water level recordings of the pond. The catchment water balance equation was resolved for evapotranspiration, the only part that was not measured directly. Time series of meteorological, hydrological, and ecological data for 10 yr enabled us to characterize the transient development of the catchment and to evaluate the effect of different feedback mechanisms on catchment hydrology. Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2017.04.0074 SN - 1539-1663 VL - 16 IS - 11 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Badorreck, Annika A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Hinz, Christoph A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. T1 - Das Hühnerwasser-Einzugsgebiet in SO-Brandenburg im Übergang von einem abiotischen zu einem biotisch kontrollierten Wasserhaushalt T2 - Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung N2 - Das Hühnerwasser-Einzugsgebiet ist ein 6 ha großes, künstlich geschaffenes Wassereinzugsgebiet im Tagebau Welzow-Süd in Südost-Brandenburg. Das Zweischichtsystem mit einer Ton- und einer darüber liegenden Sandschicht wurde im Jahr 2005 fertiggestellt und ohne weitere Rekultivierungsmaßnahmen für Forschungszwecke bereitgestellt. Es lässt exemplarisch die Untersuchung der initialen Landschaftsgenese zu. Insbesondere die Entwicklung von einem zunächst noch abiotisch kontrollierten hin zu einem biotisch gesteuerten System lässt sich hier beobachten. In diesem Beitrag werden beispielhaft einige in diesem Kontext aufgetretene Interaktionen zwischen abiotischen und biotischen Strukturelementen vorgestellt. Dies sind zum einen Erosions- und Sedimentationsprozesse und ihre Wechselwirkungen mit der Vegetation. Zum anderen wird der Einfluss der Vegetation auf die Grundwasserentwicklung dargestellt. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5675/HyWa_2018,3_1 SN - 0012-0235 SN - 1439-1783 VL - 62 IS - 3 SP - 134 EP - 144 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Zaplata, Markus K. A1 - Hinz, Christoph T1 - A Critical Zone Observatory for detecting ecosystem transition: the constructed catchment Chicken Creek (Germany) T2 - Procedia Earth and Planetary Science N2 - The constructed catchment Chicken Creek was established in 2005 as an experimental landscape laboratory for ecosystem research. The 6 ha area with clearly defined horizontal as well as vertical boundary conditions was left for natural primary succession. All Critical Zone elements are represented at this site, which allows the study of most processes occurring at the interface of bio-, pedo-, geo- and hydrosphere. It provides outstanding opportunities for investigating interactions and feedbacks between different co-evolving compartments. The catchment has been extensively instrumented since 2005. Data are recorded with a high spatial and temporal resolution and include hydrological, geomorphological, pedological, limnological as well as biological parameters in order to detect transition states of the ecosystem. In contrast to other Critical Zone Observatories, this site offers the unique situation of an early stage ecosystem with highly dynamic properties. The first years of development were characterized by a fast formation of geomorphological structures due to massive erosion of the initially non-vegetated surface. Hydrological processes led to the establishment of a local groundwater body within 5 years. In the following years the influence of biological structures like vegetation patterns gained increasing importance. Feedbacks between developing vegetation and e.g. hydrological features became more and more apparent. As a result, different phases of ecosystem development have been distinguished. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeps.2014.08.009 VL - 10 SP - 46 EP - 51 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid A1 - Schulin, Rainer A1 - Hinz, Christoph A1 - Subke, Jens-Arne T1 - Ecosystems in transition: interactions and feedbacks with an amphasis on the initial development T2 - Biogeosciences N2 - In this Special Issue of Biogeosciences on “Ecosystems in transition: Interactions and feedbacks with an emphasis on the initial development”, we bring together research on ecosystems undergoing state transitions, including artificially created and naturally formed sites, most of them in an initial stage of development. State transitions of an ecosystem may occur either when a formerly stable system state is disturbed or when a developing system gradually achieves new functions during succession. This special issue presents a collection of observational and experimental studies that focus on processes occurring during state transitions in the development of ecosystems and provide insights into the feedback mechanisms controlling them. These state transitions are studied at multiple scales, ranging from the pore scale to the catchment scale. The contributions collected in this issue can be divided into two main groups: (i) studies dealing with state transition occurring in initial ecosystems without active human interference, and (ii) studies dealing with active restoration of ecosystems after severe disturbances. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/doi:10.5194/bg-11-195-2014 VL - 11 SP - 195 EP - 200 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Elmer, Michael A1 - Fischer, Anton A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Nenov, Rossen A1 - Pretzsch, Hans A1 - Seifert, Stefan A1 - Winter, Susanne A1 - Zaplata, Markus K. T1 - Monitoring the formation of structures and patterns during initial development of an artificial catchment T2 - Environmental Monitoring and Assessment N2 - The objective of this paper is to present observations, results from monitoring measurements, and preliminary conclusions about the development of patterns and structures during the first 5 years of development of an artificial catchment starting from point zero. We discuss the high relevance of initial system traits and external events for the system development and draw conclusions for further research. These investigations as part of a Collaborative Research Center, aim to disentangle and understand the feedback mechanisms and interrelationships of processes and their co-development with spatial and temporal structures and patterns by studying an initial, probably less complex ecosystem. Therefore, intensive measurements were carried out in the catchment with regard to the development of surface structures, hydrological patterns, vegetation dynamics, water chemistry, and element budgets. During the first 5 years, considerable changes within the catchment were observed. Both internal and external factors could be identified as driving forces for the formation of structures and patterns in the artificial catchment. Initial structures formed by the construction process and initial substrate characteristics were decisive for the distribution and flow of water. External factors like episodic events triggered erosion and dissection during this initial phase, promoted by the low vegetation cover, and the unconsolidated sandy substrate. The transformation of the initial geosystem into areas with evolving terrestrial or aquatic characteristics and from a very episodic to a more permanent stream network and discharge, together with the observed vegetation dynamics increased site diversity and heterogeneity with respect to water and nutrient availability and transformation processes compared with the more homogenous conditions at point zero. The processes and feedback mechanisms in the initial development of a new landscape may deviate in rates, intensity, and dominance from those known from mature ecosystems. It is therefore crucial to understand these early phases of ecosystem development and to disentangle the increasingly complex interactions between the evolving terrestrial and aquatic, biotic, and abiotic compartments of the system. Long-term monitoring of initial ecosystems may provide important data and parameters on processes and the crucial role of spatial and temporal structures and patterns to solve these problems. Artificially created catchments could be a suitable tool to study these initial developments at the landscape scale under known, designed, and defined boundary conditions. KW - ecosystem development Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2998-x SN - 0167-6369 VL - Vol. 185 IS - 7 SP - 5965 EP - 5986 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Bens, Oliver A1 - Fischer, Anton A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Grünewald, Uwe A1 - Holländer, Hartmut M. A1 - Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid A1 - Mutz, Michael A1 - Schloter, Michael A1 - Schulin, Rainer A1 - Veste, Maik A1 - Winter, Susanne A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. T1 - Patterns and processes of initial terrestrial-ecosystem development T2 - Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science N2 - Ecosystems are characterized as complex systems with abiotic and biotic processes interacting between the various components that have evolved over long-term periods. Most ecosystem studies so far have been carried out in mature systems. Only limited knowledge exists on the very initial phase of ecosystem development. Concepts on the development of ecosystems are often based on assumptions and extrapolations with respect to structure–process interactions in the initial stage. To characterize the effect of this initial phase on structure and functioning of ecosystems in later stages, it is necessary to disentangle the close interaction of spatial and temporal patterns of ecosystem structural assemblages with processes of ecosystem development. The study of initial, less complex systems could help to better identify and characterize coupled patterns and processes. This paper gives an overview of concepts for the initial development of different ecosystem compartments and identifies open questions and research gaps. The artificial catchment site “Chicken Creek” is introduced as a new research approach to investigate these patterns and processes of initial ecosystem development under defined boundary conditions. This approach allows to integrate the relevant processes with related pattern and structure development over temporal and spatial scales and to derive thresholds and stages in state and functioning of ecosystems at the catchment level. KW - soils KW - pedogenesis KW - vegetation succession KW - microbial succession KW - artificial catchment Y1 - 2011 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jpln.201000158 SN - 1522-2624 VL - 174 IS - 2 SP - 229 EP - 239 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Biemelt, Detlef A1 - Fischer, Anton A1 - Winter, Susanne A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. T1 - The artificial catchment "Chicken Creek" (Lusatia, Germany) - A landscape laboratory for interdisciplinary studies of initial ecosystem development T2 - Ecological Engineering Y1 - 2009 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2009.09.003 SN - 0925-8574 VL - 35 IS - 12 SP - 1786 EP - 1796 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Elmer, Michael A1 - Fischer, Anton A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Nenov, Rossen A1 - Pretzsch, Hans A1 - Zaplata, Markus K. T1 - Feedbacks between vegetation, surface structures and hydrology during initial development of the artificial catchment 'Chicken Creek' T2 - Procedia Environmental Sciences N2 - Our investigations at the artificial catchment ´Chicken Creek´ in Lusatia/Germany aim to disentangle and understand the feedback mechanisms and interrelationships of processes and their co-development with spatial and temporal structures and patterns by studying this initial, probably less complex ecosystem. Intensive measurements were carried out in the catchment with regard to the development of surface structures, hydrological patterns, and vegetation dynamics. During the first seven years, considerable changes within the catchment were observed. Both internal and external factors could be identified as driving forces for the formation of structures and patterns in the artificial catchment. Initial structures formed by the construction process and initial substrate characteristics were decisive for the distribution and flow of water. External factors like episodic events triggered erosion and dissection during this initial phase, promoted by the low vegetation cover and the unconsolidated sandy substrate. The transformation of the initial geo-system into areas with evolving terrestrial or aquatic characteristics and from a very episodic to a more permanent stream network and discharge, together with the observed vegetation dynamics increased site diversity and heterogeneity with respect to water and nutrient availability and transformation processes compared to the more homogenous conditions at point zero. The processes and feedback mechanisms in the initial development of a new landscape may deviate in rates, intensity and dominance from those known from mature ecosystems. It is therefore crucial to understand these early phases of ecosystem development and to disentangle the increasingly complex interactions between the evolving terrestrial and aquatic, biotic and abiotic compartments of the system. Artificially created catchments could be a suitable tool to study these initial developments at the landscape scale under known, designed and defined boundary conditions. Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2013.06.010 SN - 1878-0296 VL - 19 SP - 86 EP - 95 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Repmann, Frank A1 - Galatsidas, Spyridon A1 - Vlachaki, Despoina A1 - Gounaris, Nikos A1 - Baumgarten, Wibke A1 - Volkmann, Christiane A1 - Keramitzis, Dimitrios A1 - Kiourtsis, Fotios A1 - Freese, Dirk T1 - Assessment and quantification of marginal lands for biomass production in Europe using soil-quality indicators T2 - SOIL N2 - The cultivation of bioenergy plants in fertile, arable lands increasingly results in new land use conflicts with food production and cannot be considered as sustainable. Marginal lands have been frequently considered as potential alternatives for producing bioenergy from biomass. However, clear definitions and assessment methods for selecting marginal lands and for calculating potentials are still widely missing. The project “SEEMLA” aims at triggering the exploitation of currently underused marginal lands for biomass production for energy purposes. Study sites have been selected in different European countries: Germany, Greece, and Ukraine. The selected sites represent a wide variety of different types of marginal lands. Based on a soil assessment set given by the Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating (SQR) system potentially “marginal” sites have been investigated. The SQR system allows for clearly distinguishing between soils of higher and lower quality. Soils with SQR scores below 40 are regarded as “marginal”. They can be classified into different groups with regard to the importance of soil hazard indicators as evaluated by the SQR approach. The calculated SQR scores correlate significantly with biomass yields of bioenergy plants. Further, the SQR method was adapted for use in a GIS study on marginal-land potentials in Europe. Thus, 46% of the investigated European area could be classified as “marginal” with SQR scores below 40. From that area 22.6% can be considered as potentially suitable for producing renewable resources after eliminating protected sites or other places not suitable for any kind of land use. Taking the ecological demands of selected bioenergy plants into account it is possible to give first preliminary recommendations for regional crop cultivation. It can be concluded that Europe offers a large potential for renewable resources from marginal sites. However, the implementation into practice is often impeded by missing or varying policies and regulations. A proper implementation needs clear regulations and also incentives for farmers at the European level. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-4-267-2018 SN - 2199-398X SN - 2199-3971 VL - 4 IS - 4 SP - 267 EP - 290 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. A1 - Gerwin, Werner T1 - Landscape Development From Point Zero T2 - Pacific Science N2 - Severe disturbances of landscapes entail an ecosystem development with the formation of structures and functions which may reach either a new equilibrium state or a state similar to the original ecosystem. Natural disturbances can result from major events such as volcanoes, glaciers, or denudations from landslides. Major disturbance may also evolve from anthropogenic influences such as from mining operations. They all can be considered starting points for the development of ecosystems from ‘point zero’, which was one central research interest of Dieter Mueller-Dombois. In this paper results from research in the Lusatian post-mining landscapes (Eastern Germany) are presented. Different methodological approaches are discussed. The well-defined ‘point zero’ of the ecosystem development allows for research on chronosequence designs as well as real time series studies. Chronosequences have been investigated to gain insight into the medium to long-term direction of the development. Real time series are recorded to obtain a more detailed understanding. The paper is structured into three main parts: First, effects of ecosystem disturbances by mining in Lusatia and the initial conditions for restoration are presented. In the following part practical rehabilitation measures and land use options are discussed. Finally, the third part summarizes results of long-term monitoring in an artificial watershed. In conclusion, post-mining landscapes allow for relevant case studies of ecosystem development after severe disturbances. Particularly, the starting point of the initial phase is very well defined which distinguishes these anthropogenically disturbed landscapes from landscapes after natural disturbances. Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.2984/77.2.11 SN - 1534-6188 VL - 77 IS - 2-3 SP - 309 EP - 325 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Moghadas, Davood A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Badorreck, Annika A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. T1 - A web-based platform for terrestrial data repository from Chicken Creek catchment T2 - Earth Science Informatics N2 - Exploring hydrological and ecological processes plays a key role in understanding ecosystem developments. In this respect, the constructed catchment, Chicken Creek, has been established for fundamental and interdisciplinary scientific research. Since 2005, an ongoing monitoring program has been launched to measure hydrological, biological, meteorological, and pedological parameters during the ecological development of the site. This comprehensive and multidisciplinary monitoring program has produced a diverse large data set. Handling such complex data for research purposes can be a cumbersome task. Consequently, we developed an online data portal (https://www.b-tu.de/chicken-creek/apps/datenportal/) to efficiently handle the data from Chicken Creek catchment. The portal was constructed using Shiny package of the R programming language. This platform provides a web-based data repository allowing for data discovery, download, visualization, and analysis. The data include time series of different parameters from installed sensors, data from laboratory analyses, vegetation data, data from sampling campaigns, and aerial photos. This platform demonstrates the relevancy and potentiality of the R-Shiny for constructing an online data portal to be used for multidisciplinary scientific purposes. The Chicken Creek data portal thus provides a comprehensive and reliable database to give scientists a fast and easy access to all collected data. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-019-00385-0 SN - 1865-0481 VL - 12 IS - 4 SP - 671 EP - 684 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. A1 - Gerwin, Werner T1 - Forest rehabilitation after disturbance : introduction T2 - Ecological Engineering Y1 - 2007 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2007.05.002 SN - 0925-8574 VL - 31 IS - 1 SP - 145 EP - 146 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Elmer, Michael A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Zaplata, Markus K. A1 - Hohberg, Karin A1 - Nenov, Rossen A1 - Bens, Oliver A1 - Hüttl, Reinhard F. T1 - Dynamics of initial ecosystem development at the artificial catchment Chicken Creek, Lusatia, Germany T2 - Environmental Earth Sciences KW - ecosystem development Y1 - 2013 SN - 1866-6299 VL - 69 IS - 2 SP - 491 EP - 505 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Blumröder, Jeanette S. A1 - Adhikari, Yojana A1 - Balthasar, Cathrina A1 - Binder, Anja A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Bischoff, Antje A1 - Brosinsky, Arlena A1 - Bubner, Ben A1 - Clerc, Danica A1 - Djoudi, El Aziz A1 - Dobkowitz, Sophia A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Hartong, Heinrich A1 - Hess, Carsten A1 - Jarling, René A1 - Jouy, Florent A1 - Leinen, Loretta A1 - Meißner, Andreas A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Repmann, Frank A1 - Rönnefarth, Susanne A1 - Schaaf, Wolfgang A1 - Schirrmacher, Marina A1 - Schmehl, Marie-Therese A1 - Schmitt, Thomas A1 - Schröder, Jens A1 - Schüle, Maren A1 - Sturm, Knut A1 - Welle, Torsten A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - PYROPHOB – A post-fire ecosystem research project to inform management for resilient forest development BT - PYROPHOB – Ein Ökosystemforschungsprojekt auf Waldbrandflächen als Grundlage für das Management einer resilienten Waldentwicklung T2 - Tuexenia N2 - 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. Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.14471/2024.44.004 SN - 0722-494X SN - 2748-3452 VL - 44 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Pohl, Lydia A1 - Winkler, Pauline A1 - Mikutta, Robert A1 - Rücknagel, Jan A1 - Gerwin, Werner T1 - Potential of Fe sludge addition to increase the water holding capacity of sandy soil substrates T2 - Journal of environmental management N2 - Iron (Fe) hydroxide sludge is a by-product of open-pit lignite mining that accumulates in large quantities during acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment, where Fe²⁺ is precipitated to mitigate its environmental impact on aquatic ecosystems. Large quantities accrue, and the majority of Fe sludge is currently landfilled, although it may hold potential for beneficial reuse, for example, as a soil amendment. Hence, this study investigated the potential of Fe sludge to improve the water-holding capacity of sandy soils. A pure quartz sand and three sandy soil substrates were mixed with three different amounts of Fe oxide sludge (15, 30, and 60 t ha⁻¹) in pelletized and powdered form. Plant-available water-holding capacity (AWHC) was measured for all treatments, and results were compared to controls without Fe oxide sludge addition. The quartz sand's AWHC increased at all application rates of Fe sludge. In natural sandy soil substrates, Fe sludge increased AWHC at the highest application rate only in the soil material with an initial AWHC of <10 vol%. The application of powdered Fe sludge was found to be more effective than pelletized sludge. We conclude that Fe oxide sludge applied as powder has the potential to enhance the AWHC of soils with an initial AWHC <10 vol%, thus improving the quality of sandy substrates in post-mining areas. Yet, application of Fe sludge to improve soil physical properties should always consider their simultaneous impact on soil chemical properties, such as pH buffering, carbon accumulation, and effects on potentially harmful trace elements. Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126870 SN - 0301-4797 VL - 393 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schmehl, Marie-Therese A1 - Adhikari, Yojana A1 - Balthasar, Cathrina A1 - Binder, Anja A1 - Clerc, Danica A1 - Dobkowitz, Sophia A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Günther, Kristin A1 - Hartong, Heinrich A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Hess, Carsten A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. A1 - Jouy, Florent A1 - Leinen, Loretta A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Repmann, Frank A1 - Rönnefarth, Susanne A1 - Rohlfs, Lilly A1 - Schirrmacher, Marina A1 - Schröder, Jens A1 - Schüle, Maren A1 - Vieth-Hillebrand, Andrea A1 - Francke, Till T1 - Monitoring abiotic and biotic parameters of forest regrowth under different management regimes on former wildfire sites in northeastern Germany – data from the PYROPHOB project T2 - Earth system science data N2 - 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). Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6295-2025 SN - 1866-3516 VL - 17 IS - 11 SP - 6295 EP - 6313 PB - Copernicus GmbH CY - Göttingen ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schüle, Maren A1 - Heinken, Thilo A1 - Adhikari, Yojana A1 - Binder, Anja A1 - Clerc, Danica A1 - Dobkowitz, Sophia A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Hartong, Heinrich A1 - Jouy, Florent A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Repmann, Frank A1 - Rohlfs, Lilly A1 - Rönnefarth, Susanne A1 - Ibisch, Pierre L. T1 - Intensive post‐fire management drives ecosystem degradation but does not prevent tree regeneration T2 - Journal of applied ecology N2 - In recent years, wildfires have affected relatively large areas of managed forests in Central Europe. Often, forestry uses intensive post‐fire management practices, which can have negative effects on various components of the ecosystem. Fire ecology has been largely neglected in Central Europe and strategies for appropriate management and successful reforestation of burned areas are urgently needed. We have studied the effects of different post‐fire forest management treatments (including different levels of salvage logging and soil disturbances such as ploughing or raking) on soil parameters (phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, potassium, magnesium, pH), microclimate (temperatures, vapour pressure deficit (VPD), heat and drought stress), deadwood, regrowth (biomass of tree regeneration, herb and bryophyte layer) and species richness (plants and saproxylic beetles) 3 years after wildfire in a Central European Scots pine forest (northeast Germany). Intensive forest management led to more unfavourable abiotic conditions, including stronger temperature extremes and elevated VPD. Consequently, vegetation on these sites experienced increased heat and drought stress and reduced nutrient availability. The biomass of the herb and bryophyte layer, as well as the species richness of plants and saproxylic beetles, was lower on completely salvage logged sites. Tree biomass recovered on all sites, including sites with intensive forest management. Tree regeneration in our study area was mainly driven by the recolonization of the pioneer species European aspen (Populus tremula), which can tolerate a wide range of site conditions. Synthesis and applications. We recommend avoiding intensive management on burned sites, such as complete salvage logging or ploughing, as this creates extreme site conditions that could inhibit the regeneration of more sensitive tree species and result in a long‐term legacy of degradation. In addition, herb and bryophyte layers, as well as the species richness of vegetation and saproxylic beetles, which are important components of forest ecosystems, are negatively affected by intense forest management. KW - Deadwood KW - Microclimate dynamics KW - Plant biomass KW - Post-fire forest management KW - Salvage KW - logging KW - Soil nutrient availability KW - Species diversity KW - Tree regeneration Y1 - 2026 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70257 SN - 0021-8901 SN - 1365-2664 VL - 63 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Wiley ER -