Niederwälder nature reserve near Visbeck

The Niederwälder nature reserve near Visbeck with a size of 36.3 hectares is located north of Visbeck in the urban area of Meschede . The area was designated as a nature reserve (NSG) by the Hochsauerlandkreis in 1994 with the Meschede landscape plan. The NSG consists of four sub-areas. The NSG partly goes as far as the city limits to Sundern . The nature reserve Niederwald Odin borders directly in Sundern .

Area description

In the NSG to Birch oak is a dwarf shrub, lichen and moss rich coppice on the mountain peaks and the south-facing slopes of the elongated ridge Hardt. In the forest there are sessile oaks and oaks, sand birches and a few red beeches. Occasional buckthorn and mountain ash occur. Special features are individual juniper and holly or ilex.

The stunted, multi-shoot coppice forests of the Hardt have an extensive herbaceous layer of dwarf shrubs and grasses, locally with bracken . The predominant birch-oak forests are occasionally interspersed with older beech trees. In addition to the occurrence of earth lichens on open ground, for example on the slopes, twigs and branches are hung with epiphytic lichens. Dense cushions of moss sometimes grow on the old root stocks. On the ridge of the ridge there are isolated junipers . A herb layer with different types of mountain heather. In addition to large stocks of blueberries, there are also cranberries and heather . They indicate the acidic soil of the area. On grass species are found Luzulo and the ordinary moor grass. In the late spring you can see the lily of the valley and during the summer you can see the meadow quail wheat . The NSG is one of the best preserved coppice forests in the Hochsauerland district.

Protection purpose

As with all nature reserves in Germany, the protection designation pointed out that the area became a nature reserve “because of the rarity, special character and beauty of the area”.