Soil Condition Survey

Functional soils are the foundation for productive and adaptable forests and thus for sustainable and successful forestry. Forest soils provide an optimal habitat for many organisms and thus contribute to biodiversity in our forests. They store carbon and make an important contribution to climate protection.

The current forest soil condition reflects past influences of environmental factors: pollutant inputs from air pollution, climate, changing vegetation, and human influence – for example through interventions in the landscape water balance or as a result of forest management. Through the regular implementation of the National Forest Soil Condition Survey, a reliable database is created to answer environmental, forestry, and soil protection-relevant questions.

The Soil Condition Survey is a joint project of the federal and state governments. In Brandenburg, the inventory is conducted on an area-representative 8x8km sampling grid with currently 217 inventory points (Fig.1). The soil condition at these points can be comprehensively described through a variety of chemical and physical parameters analyzed in the central laboratory of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). In addition, leaf/needle samples are taken at all inventory points and analyzed with regard to current nutrient supply. Furthermore, surveys are conducted on tree stock (growth, crown condition), deadwood quantities, and ground vegetation.

Location of BZE inventory points in Brandenburg and sampling design at individual points

An overview of the results from previous inventories (1992: BZE-1, 2006: BZE-2, and 2009: BZE-2a) can be found in the two-part Forest Soil Report of Brandenburg, published as Volume 60 and Volume 68 of the Eberswalde Forestry Publication Series:

• Riek, W., Russ, A., Kühn, D. (2015): Waldbodenbericht Brandenburg – Zustand und Entwicklung der brandenburgischen Waldböden. Ergebnisse der landesweiten Bodenzustandserhebungen BZE-2 und BZE-2a. Band 1. Eberswalder Forstliche Schriftenreihe, Bd. 60. Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg, Landeskompetenzzentrum Forst Eberswalde (Hrsg), Eberswalde. 172 S.download (.pdf)
• Riek, W., Russ, A. (2019): Waldbodenbericht Brandenburg. Weitere Ergebnisse der landesweiten Bodenzustandserhebungen und Folgerungen für die nachhaltige Waldnutzung. Band 2. Eberswalder Forstliche Schriftenreihe Bd. 68. Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg, Landeskompetenzzentrum Forst Eberswalde (Hrsg.), Eberswalde 238 S.download (.pdf)

The BZE results can serve foresters and forest owners as a basis for silvicultural decisions – for example with regard to site-appropriate tree species selection under climate change conditions or regarding nutrient sustainability with different forestry use intensities. A brochure summarizes the significance of the findings from practical forestry aspects:

• Riek, W., Russ, A. (2020): Zustand der Waldböden im Land Brandenburg. Praxisempfehlungen für die nachhaltige und bodenpflegliche Bewirtschaftung der Wälder. Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und Klimaschutz des Landes Brandenburg, Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg (Hrsg.). 36 S.download (.pdf)

For the third national Forest Soil Condition Survey (BZE-3), the period 2022 to 2025 is planned. Currently, field surveys on soil, nutrition, crown condition, stand, deadwood, and vegetation are being conducted, accompanied by corresponding laboratory analyses. The BZE-3 data aims to reveal changes in soil properties over a long period. From this, assessments can be derived for the planning and monitoring of forestry measures. The data will contribute to simulating risks in tree species selection under climate change conditions. Increasingly, the water balance of soils and their potential for carbon storage are also in focus. New insights are expected regarding fundamental ecosystem relationships, i.e., the interactions between soil properties and forest nutrition, forest growth, forest vegetation, crown condition, and seepage water quality, as well as regarding the significance of forest soils for biodiversity.

Contact persons for BZE-3 in Brandenburg and Berlin:

Markus Lammel, Tel.: 03334-2759 103, Email: Markus.Lammel@LFB.Brandenburg.de

Prof. Dr. Winfried Riek, Tel.: 03334-657170, Email: Winfried.Riek@HNEE.de