Wacholderberg and Schmiedsberg near Dens

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Wacholderberg and Schmiedsberg near Dens

IUCN Category IV - Habitat / Species Management Area

View from the southwest of the Wacholderberg.

View from the southwest of the Wacholderberg.

location In the districts of Dens of the municipality of Nentershausen and Solz of the city of Bebra in the eastern Hessian district of Hersfeld-Rotenburg
surface 11.54 hectares
Identifier 1632017
WDPA ID 166104
Geographical location 51.018253
Sea level from 350  m to 420  m
Setup date 1990
particularities Special protection as a nature reserve and part of a Natura 2000 area.

The nature reserve Wacholderberg and Schmiedsberg bei Dens is located south of the district of Dens in the municipality of Nentershausen in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in East Hesse . By using it as a hat , the limestone semi-dry lawns, which are worthy of protection, have formed on the shallow soils in the hilly hilltop landscape . With other semi-arid grasslands in the area, it is partly part of the flora-fauna habitat area "Lean lime grasslands between Morschen and Sontra". The cultural and historical importance of the protected area is based on the relics of earlier forms of land use , the structures of which can still be seen in the areas of dry limestone lawns , juniper heaths and hay meadows .

Geographical location

The “Wacholderberg and Schmiedsberg bei Dens” nature reserve includes three sub-areas located in the districts of Dens in the municipality of Nentershausen and Solz in the town of Bebra in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district. The altitude is between 350  m and 420  m .

In terms of nature , the area is assigned to the “ Sontraer Land ” in the “ Fulda-Werra-Bergland ” of the “ East Hessian Bergland ”.

Protected position

With the ordinance of the regional council in Kassel of April 30, 1990, several limestone grasslands south of Dens were declared a nature reserve under the name "Wacholderberg und Schmiedsberg bei Dens". The purpose of the protection was "to preserve the limestone grasslands, some of which are covered with trees and bushes, as well as the near-natural forest areas as a habitat for rare plant and animal species." The protected area has a size of 11.54 hectares and is nationally identified 1632017 and the WDPA code 166104.

The juniper mountain and areas of the Schmiedsberg are part of the flora-fauna-habitat area "Lean lime grasslands between Morschen and Sontra", which was registered in 2002 under the area no. 5025-350, notified to the EU for the Natura 2000 transnational system of protected areas . With the "Ordinance on Natura 2000 areas in Hesse" of January 16, 2008, it was legally secured at state level. The FFH area, made up of 65 sub-areas, the delimitation of which has been changed several times, has a size of 444.5 hectares. It consists of a network of small-scale limestone grasslands that are embedded in a mosaic of limestone fields, grassland and forest areas. The FFH area is important nationwide because of the occurrence of three-tooth orchid , which has stable populations here on several sub-areas, as well as other orchid species . The remnants of the former cultural landscape , in which most of the biotope types were created as a result of the history of its use by human influences, are considered interesting from a local and cultural-historical point of view .

nature

The east side of the summit of the Schmiedsberg.

The geological subsurface of the protected area is formed by limestone deposits from the Zechstein , which have weathered to form shallow soils. Because they were unsuitable for fertile agriculture, the areas were used for grazing sheep and goats . Due to the use as trift pasture , limestone semi-dry lawns have formed in previous centuries , which are assigned to the plant community of the gentian-schillergrass lawn . This type of vegetation is one of the most species-rich habitats in Central Europe and is particularly rich in flowers. One of the character types, the German gentian , occurred here in large numbers in the 1980s. As in other areas, it has declined sharply and in some years cannot be seen due to the weather. The gentian is also dependent on suitable germination and growth conditions. Grazing with sheep has a positive effect. As an annual or biennial plant, the seeds of which require a longer moistening phase to germinate, they are dependent on wounds in the sward and compaction of the soil from cattle treads.

The occurrence of the spotted orchid , which is endangered in Hesse, is remarkable on Schmiedsberg near Dens. Other protected or rare species grow on the heat-favored locations of the protected area areas, fringed gentian , common cat's paw , bird's foot sedge , silver thistle , helminth and trident orchid .

The landscape is determined by the juniper stands . Compared to other woody plants, the juniper is very weak and its occurrence is limited in many places to locations that were created through pasture use. Since the juniper is a plant in which the sheep do not even eat the young shoots, it has become a characteristic feature of a cultural landscape that is characterized by grazing by sheep and goats. The high diversity of plant species in the juniper areas forms the basis for a particularly distinctive butterfly fauna . In an inventory at the end of the 1980s, 36 species were identified, among which the sloe hairstreak , dwarf blue-eyed , red and black-brown thick-headed butterflies are among the endangered species in Hesse.

  • Juniper stands on the Schmiedsberg.

  • Game on the Wacholderberg.

The poor grasslands that still exist today are only remnants of the once widespread biotope type. With the abandonment of grazing from the 1950s onwards, a steadily progressing encroachment up to reforestation developed on the areas left to them until they were placed under protection in 1990 . Through maintenance measures, parts of the area have now been converted back to semi-arid grassland.

Guiding principles and conservation goals

The model for the nature reserve, as well as for the other sub-areas of the FFH area, is the restoration of the earlier, diversely structured cultural landscape through extensive use that is adapted to the terrain. The juniper areas that characterize the landscape on semi-arid lawns, with their bushes and fringing structures, are to be preserved in the future. Grazing with sheep and goats, a form of management typical of the area, is considered to be the most important instrument for maintenance. Grazed, short-grassed areas serve as a habitat for small-stature and weakly competitive species and promote flower-rich populations that offer numerous insects a diverse range of food.

Tourist development

From the county road 53 from Dens to Solz a dirt road turns left, which leads along the Wacholderberg. Via farm roads and a hiking trail from Nentershausen to Solz you reach the Schmiedsberg, which offers a wide view in the western direction.

literature

  • Lothar and Sieglinde Nitsche, Marcus Schmidt: Nature reserves in Hessen , Volume 3, cognitio Verlag, Niedenstein 2005. P. 192 and 193. ISBN 3-932583-13-2 .
  • Gerd Teigeler: Action plan for FFH area 5025-350 “Lean lime grasslands between Morschen and Sontra” (parts of the west and east) , Kassel regional council, Upper Nature Conservation Authority , May 2015.

Web links

Commons : Nature reserve “Wacholderberg and Schmiedsberg bei Dens”  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Lothar and Sieglinde Nitsche, Marcus Schmidt: Nature reserves in Hessen, Volume 3 . Pp. 192 and 193.
  2. ↑ Classification of natural areas according to Otto Klausing in the Hessen Environmental Atlas at atlas.umwelt.hessen.de ; accessed on May 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ Quoted from the ordinance on the nature reserve "Wacholderberg and Schmiedsberg bei Dens" of April 30, 1990 in the State Gazette for the State of Hesse, edition 21/1990 of May 21, 1990, p. 967 f.
  4. ^ "Wacholderberg und Schmiedsberg bei Dens" in the world database on protected areas; accessed on May 25, 2019.
  5. ↑ Ordinance on the Natura 2000 areas in Hesse in the Law and Ordinance Gazette for the State of Hesse, Part I, No. 4, of March 7, 2008.
  6. ↑ Profile of the FFH area on the website of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN); accessed on May 25, 2019.
  7. ^ "Lean lime grassland between Morschen and Sontra" in the world database on protected areas; accessed on May 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ Action plan for the FFH area "Lean lime grassland between Morschen and Sontra" .