Soil condition survey
The soil condition survey (BZE) in the forest is part of forest environmental monitoring in Germany and is used to regularly record the soil condition. Building on the sample network of the forest condition survey (forest damage survey ), the BZE is carried out as a systematic sample inventory on a grid of 8 × 8 kilometers in the German forests . The first soil condition survey (BZE 1) took place in the old federal states at the end of the 1980s and in the new federal states at the beginning of the 1990s. The trigger for the implementation of the BZE and the forest status survey was the discussion about the so-called " acid rain " and the " forest dieback " at the beginning of the 1980s. For concern about the forest ecosystem, forest monitoring was established in both parts of Germany. The aim is to observe changes in forest soils, vegetation, crown condition and forest nutrition. This takes place in the soil condition survey at around 2,000 forest sample points in Germany. The Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute evaluates the data collected by the federal states.
In the years 2006-08, the second soil condition survey (BZE 2) was carried out in all federal states. In addition to the legal obligation to survey the soil condition from the relevant federal and state laws, a large number of topics are in the foreground when evaluating the BZE 2. Where, for example, is the quantification of carbon and nitrogen stocks in forest soils and the consideration of the buffer capacity of soils and their temporal change between first and second uptake recorded.
The third soil condition survey (BZE 3) is scheduled for the period 2022–2024.
Together with the Forest Condition Survey (WZE), the BZE forms the Level I program at European level for the provision of comprehensive information on the current forest and soil condition, but also their development over time. The level I network, which is representative of the area, is supported by selective intensive monitoring of the level II program, e.g. B. at forest climate stations, added.