Nature reserve Kahler Asten (Schmallenberg)

	Kahler Asten nature reserve IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area
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location	Schmallenberg , Hochsauerlandkreis , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany
surface	1.2 ha
Identifier	HSK-556
WDPA ID	389798
Geographical location	51 ° 11 ′ N , 8 ° 29 ′ E Coordinates: 51 ° 10 ′ 40 " N , 8 ° 29 ′ 11" E
Setup date	2008
Framework plan	Landscape plan Schmallenberg southeast
administration	Lower landscape authority of the Hochsauerlandkreis

The nature reserve Kahler Asten is a 1.2 ha large protected area (NSG) on the in Rothaargebirge located Kahler Asten . It is located in the urban area of Schmallenberg west of the core town of Winterberg in the North Rhine-Westphalian Hochsauerlandkreis .

Geographical location

The nature reserve is located in the Sauerland-Rothaargebirge nature park on the south-west of the high elevations of the Kahler Asten near the summit. Its eastern border is the city limit from Schmallenberg to Winterberg. There, the much larger NSG Kahler Asten (Winterberg) borders with the Lenne spring . In addition, the NSG adjoins the NSG Oberes Lennetal (Schmallenberg) located in Schmallenberg's urban area .

history

The area was designated in 2008 with the Schmallenberg Southeast landscape plan by the Hochsauerlandkreis as (NSG).

description

The nature reserve includes the small Schmallenberg part of the mountain heath with mountain heather, heather development areas and forest stands rich in berries west of the summit of the Kahler Asten. It is an almost 400 m long and up to 40 m deep strip of terrain on the moderately sloping western slope of the mountain. The southern part of the area is occupied by a striking surface, about half of which already bears the vegetation of a mountain heather rich in blueberries. On the other half there are local groups of blueberries. The northern part of the area has a light beech forest and a light, younger spruce forest, each with an undergrowth rich in berries. The vegetation is sometimes referred to as high heather because it was believed for a time to be a relic of the past ice age . Hardly any trees grow on the heather, as emerging tree seedlings are bitten by sheep grazing. In some areas, however, natural reforestation is already well advanced due to insufficient grazing. In order to maintain the landscape, manual maintenance interventions are necessary again and again. The vegetation consists mainly of heather (Calluna vulgaris) , bristle grass (Nardus stricta) and dwarf shrubs , including blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) And gorse (Genista see left) .

Meadow pipits and tree pipits breed on the heath . The black grouse that used to be found here has disappeared for many years.

Protective measures

Since 1987, the heather areas in the two neighboring nature reserves have been grazed by the Bigger Josefsheim of the Josefs Society with heather sheep , a special breed of sheep from the Lüneburg Heath , and goats. Young trees and shrubs were from landscape maintenance squad of the Biological Station Hochsauerlandkreis with chainsaws and brushcutters vice saws. Some areas were pounded by machine in order to regenerate the heather and to prevent further grassing.

The number of visitors to the Kahler Asten is estimated to be more than a million per year. In addition to visitors who arrive by car, many hikers come on foot. There are more than 20 hiking trails, including the European long-distance hiking trail E1 , the Rothaarsteig with four access routes, the Sauerland-Höhenflug , the Hochsauerlandkammweg , the Rothaarkammweg and the Hanseweg , all of which lead over the mountain. In order to reduce the burden on the nature reserve, these paths were merged into the circular path on the Kahler Asten and the two access paths to the tower. In addition to these official trails, there are a variety of trails in the heather. In 2011, the Hochsauerlandkreis Biological Station counted eight kilometers of paths per square kilometer on the hilltop. A trail concept was developed by the Biological Station, the Lower Landscape Authority of the Hochsauerlandkreis, the Sauerland Mountain Association, the Rothaarsteig Association and other stakeholders. Among other things, obstacles on paths should guide visitors.

Protection purpose

The designation as a nature reserve was made because of the heather and the species inventory there. As is generally the case in Germany, the designation indicated that the area became a nature reserve “because of the rarity, special character and beauty of the area”.

literature

Hochsauerlandkreis - Lower Landscape Authority (Ed.): Landscape plan Schmallenberg Südost , Meschede 2008, pp. 56–58 u. 119-120.

Web links

Nature reserve "HSK-556 Kahler Asten (Schmallenberg)" in the specialist information system of the State Office for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia

Individual evidence

↑ Ulrich Lange: "Problemberg" Kahler Asten , Sauerland 2012 45/1, pp. 16-20

[ULange-1] Ulrich Lange: "Problemberg" Kahler Asten , Sauerland 2012 45/1, pp. 16-20