Helge Walentowski

• Prof. Dr. rer. nat.
• Professor at University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen

The mountain forests of Northern Patagonia represent a steep hydroclimatic gradient, with a udic to xeric soil water balance from west to east, alongside pronounced elevation gradients. This study aimed to elucidate forest soil formation along these interacting gradients and to disentangle the various influencing factors. We collected 45 soil profi...

Information on microclimatic conditions beneath canopies is key to understanding small-scale ecological processes, especially concerning the response of biodiversity to climate change. In northwestern Patagonia, where data on climate-driven species distribution are scarce, our study provides valuable insights by providing microclimatic models cover...

Accelerated global change, including land use change, is altering plant community composition and challenging conservation in protected areas (PAs) worldwide. Vegetation resurveys of quasi-permanent plots provide insights into these shifts over decades. However, resurvey studies are scarce in the temperate forests of the Andes in northern Patagonia...

Information on microclimatic conditions beneath canopies is key to understanding small-scale ecological processes, especially concerning the response of biodiversity to climate change. In northwestern Patagonia, where data on climate-driven species distribution are scarce, our study provides valuable insights by providing microclimatic models cover...

Background Severe wildfires in forest ecosystems promote soil erosion and the loss of fertile soil as a scarce natural resource. Our objective was to quantify post-fire ecosystem response in terms of soil accumulation and seed availability through redistribution. Within our study area in Northern Patagonia, Argentina, we chose three study sites at...

Andean cypress (Austrocedrus chilensis) and coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi) grow in potentially wood-productive mixed forests, but the design of forest management schemes is still necessary. These forests have experienced extreme drought, which will be more frequent in the future. This work aimed to evaluate the coihue-Andean cypress mixed forests esti...

Aims: To explore the relationship between plant communities and key environmental drivers in the Andes of northwest Patagonia, Argentina, and to evaluate the applicability of traditional phytosociological definitions to this region. Methods: We conducted 141 vegetation samples using a stratified systematic sampling design. This was done along two s...

Rapid climate change is exposing forests worldwide to increasing stress. In the temperate forests of northern Patagonia (Argentina), increased tree mortality and stand-level dieback have been reported in recent time. However, a comprehensive understanding of how climate change is affecting native trees´ growth across this complex mountainous landsc...

Climate change is reshaping forest ecosystems, presenting urgent and complex challenges that demand attention. In this context, research that quantifies interactions between climate and forests is substantial. However, modelling at a spatial resolution relevant for ecological processes presents a significant challenge, especially given the diverse...

Introduction Forests are a crucial part of the global carbon cycle and their proper management is of high relevance for mitigating climate change. There is an urgent need to compile for each region reference data on the carbon (C) stock density and C sequestration rate of its principal forest types to support evidence-based conservation and managem...

Knowledge on mesoclimatic zonation and microclimatic variations within mountain forest ecosystems is crucial for understanding regional species turnover and effects of climate change on these systems. The temperate mountain forests in the Andean region of South America are among the largest and contiguous natural deciduous forest areas in the world...

In 2021, a large transect with 281 10 × 10 m grid cells was re-surveyed in a limestone European beech forest (Hordelymo-Fagetum lathyretosum) on the plateau of the Göttingen Forest after surveys in 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011. The stand, which has not been managed by forestry since the beginning of the permanent plot study, initially showed an incre...

Natural forests and stands subjected to little to moderate human impact are continuously declining worldwide and with these, their biodiversity and ecosystem services. Many Nothofagus forests in the south of the South American continent are in a pristine state or only moderately impacted by humans. Forest grazing by livestock, in the past and still...

Aim Climatic changes affect the growth dynamics of temperate trees, but these effects might differ between co‐occurring ring‐ and diffuse‐porous species as well as between mesic and xeric rear‐edge populations. We explore whether recent climate warming has increased the climate sensitivity and within‐stand synchrony of growth in these groups differ...

Müller-Kroehling, S. & Walentowski, H. (2022): Herzstück deutschen Waldnaturschutzes oder artenarmer Waldtyp? Biodiversität und Schutz deutscher Buchenwälder. – LWF Wissen 86 („Beiträge zur Rotbuche“): 87-101. Centerpiece of German Forest Nature Conservation or species poor forest type? biodiversity and protection of German beech forests. Within...

Global warming and increasing drought severity are exposing temperate forests to increasing stress, challenging silvicultural decision making. Growth analyses in marginal tree populations at drought-induced range limits may provide valuable information on tree species’ adaptive potentials and species-specific climate turning points. We studied the...

In the Ebersberger Forest, which is the largest enclosed wooded region in the lowlands of Southern Germany, the effects of forest conversion of spruce monocultural stands into mixed spruce-beech forests on humus and ground vegetation (assessing plant diversity and composition) were examined. Three management systems (pure Norway spruce stands “Z”...

Key message: Climate-warming related replacement of beech by oak forests in the course of natural forest succession or silvicultural decisions may considerably reduce ecosystem carbon storage of central European woodlands. Context: Climate warming may change the carbon (C) storage in forest biomass and soil through future shifts in tree species com...

Question Malus sylvestris is considered an endangered tree species in Central Europe. Hybridization with Malus domestica poses a serious threat to the genetic integrity of the wild species. Here we investigate whether M. sylvestris and the hybrid M. domestica × sylvestris occur in the same habitat or have different ecological niches and whether M....

Climate change challenges important native timber species in Central Europe. The introduction of non-native tree species originating from warmer climates is one option to make Central European forests compatible to global warming. This, however, requires an assessment of the species’ growth requirements, and of its impact on biodiversity in its nat...

Climate warming-related drought could become a major driver of large-scale forest dieback. However, little is known about how past management legacies modulate the climate-growth responses during recent dieback episodes in central European oak forests. Here, we examine the role played by past management –unmanaged old-growth vs. managed forests– in...

Deadwood is a fundamental forest habitat component and highly important for biodiversity conservation. Its availability, composition, size, categories and distribution depend on various structural and environmental factors (e.g., forest age, management, tree mortality, climate, decomposition). We analysed deadwood patterns along altitudinal gradien...

Sustainability - Special Issue Selecting Climate Resilient Tree Species for Forest Restoration - What is Necessary and What is Possible (closed 31 December 2021): https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/tree_species_forest_restoration

The successful implementation of contract-based nature conservation in privately-owned forests requires a framework of reasonable operational measures. Our study aimed at developing such a framework by; 1) defining forest conservation objects including structures, processes, and habitat types, 2) assessing their conservation value based on the need...

European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is a drought-sensitive species that likely will retreat from its xeric distribution edges in the course of climate warming. Physiological measurements indicate that the species may not only be sensitive to soil water deficits, but also to high temperatures and elevated atmospheric vapor pressure deficits (vpd). Thro...

Concerted efforts are required to achieve the essential UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This concept paper is focused on the development of a new Master of Forestry (MF) degree program at our University of Applied Sciences (UAS). With this move, we want to outline how capacity building and valuable synergy effects can be...

Das Handbuch der Natürlichen Waldgesellschaften Bayerns gehört seit vielen Jahren zum Handwerkszeug von Forstingenieurinnen und Forstingenieuren in Bayern und findet darüber hinaus im Naturschutz Verwendung. Über so einen langen Zeitraum bleiben Änderungen in der Verwendung nicht aus. So wurde der Biotopschutz (früher: "Artikel 13d") im §30 des Bun...

In order to achieve the UN Sustainability Goals 2030 (UNSG2030), a broad range of knowledge and expertise are required, as well as consensual quality standards and scientifically aligned ways. It represents an enormous challenge to achieve a sustainable land use, and at the same time, to stop the significant changes occurred during the Holocene and...

In the "Echinger Lohe", a small and isolated forest island in the vicinity of Munich (Germany), a strict forest reserve was established in 1978. The G a l i o-C a r p i n e t u m oak-hornbeam-forest was supposed to be a remnant of the (sub-) climax vegetation of the Northern Munich gravel plain. However , our new scientific results suggest, that it...

The Echinger Lohe strict forest reserve in the vicinity of Munich (Germany) is a secondary oak-hornbeam-forest (Galio-Carpinetum), which developed through coppice-with-standards and silvo-pasture management. Since the 1970s various vegetation surveys have been conducted at permanent monitoring plots. In 2017 the most recent vegetation survey was ca...

Although most of the northern Peruvian Andes are still dominated by diverse cloud and montane forests, agricultural patches and degraded forests are increasingly expanding, while natural habitats are suffering from insidious fragmentation. Subsequent soil degradation often leads to field abandonment, overused forests, or degraded pastures. However,...

The extreme dry and warm summer 2018 in Germany made it evident for biogeographers, but actually also for the public, what consequences climate change might bring on our environment in the decades to come. So, questions arise such as how Central European mixed beech forests will react to these ecological shifts? Will other tree species alongside be...

Setting operational conservation objectives is a major challenge for effective biodiversity conservation worldwide. To analyse forest conservation objectives in Germany in a transparent manner and to achieve a consistent and consensual framework, we systematically classified conservation objectives suggested in concepts by different stakeholders. W...

Based on studies on stand structure, plant community composition and tree ecology across a climate gradient in western Romania from beech-dominated to oak-dominated forests, we are investigating how climate warming in 50-60 years would affect forest ecosystem structure, the vitality of important tree species, and the provision of energy wood from n...

In the humid tropics of Latin America, considerable proportions of agro-scapes are covered with degraded pastures that were taken over by dense weedy shrub canopies hampering further forest succession. While tree seeds are still constantly dispersed by bats and birds, these often do not reach the soil but got stuck in the dense shrubby vegetation....

Zusammenfassung: Die am Südwestgrat des Grünten im Oberallgäu auf extrem steilen, kreidezeitlichen Brisi-Sandsteinen der helvetischen Zone stockenden azidophytischen Fels-Kiefernwälder stellen innerhalb der Bayerischen Alpen eine einmalige Erscheinung dar. Aufbauend auf einer Beschreibung von Standort, Bestandesstruktur und Artenzusammensetzung wir...

Turkey, a country of exceptionally rich biodiversity, makes a major contribution to three Palaearctic biogeographical regions, the Euro-Siberian, the Mediterranean, and the Irano-Turanian. With this contribution we provide a first-ever conspectus of forest and scrub habitat types in Turkey, cross-referencing general information such as species comp...

Son derece zengin bir biyoçeşitlilik ülkesi olan Türkiye, üç Palaearkt biyocoğrafik bölgeye, Avrupa-Sibirya, Akdeniz ve İrano-Turan bölgelerine büyük katkıda bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’deki orman ve çalılık habitat türlerine ilişkin olarak, tür bileşimi, ekoloji ve AB Habitat Direktifi Ek I kodlarına göre habitatlar içerisindeki dağılımları...

Son derece zengin bir biyoçeşitlilik ülkesi olan Türkiye, üç Palaearktik biyocoğrafik bölgeye, Avrupa-Sibirya, Akdeniz ve İrano-Turan bölgelerine büyük katkıda bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’deki orman ve çalılık habitat türlerine ilişkin olarak, tür bileşimi, ekoloji ve AB Habitat Direktifi Ek I kodlarına göre habitatlar içerisindeki dağılımla...

Turkey, a country of exceptionally rich biodiversity, makes a major contribution to three Palaearctic biogeographical regions, the Euro-Siberian, the Mediterranean, and the Irano-Turanian. With this contribution we provide a first-ever conspectus of forest and scrub habitat types in Turkey, cross-referencing general information such as species...

Turkey, a country of exceptionally rich biodiversity, makes a major contribution to three Palaearctic biogeographical regions, the Euro-Siberian, the Mediterranean, and the Irano-Turanian. With this contribution we provide a first-ever conspectus of forest and scrub habitat types in Turkey, cross-referencing general information such as species...

NEMKLIM Research Aims

Walentowski et al.: Phytosociological studies of Malus sylvestris Supplement S1. Forest communities from 13 vegetation plots of European crab apple (Malus sylvestris ) in North Hesse. Supplement S2. Plant communities from 18 vegetation plots of European crabapple (Malus sylvestris ) in Upper Franconia

Walentowski et al.: Phytosociological studies of Malus sylvestris. Supplement E1. Localities of the crabapple individuals and relevés in I - North Hesse and II - Upper Franconia.

Malus sylvestris the European crabapple, a rare and threatened small tree species, has attracted increasing interest since it was awarded tree of the year 2013 in Germany. In this study, we used the wide range of different habitats in Upper Franconia and North Hesse to reveal a more complete picture about its phytosociology and ecological behavior...

First presentation of the aims of the NEMKLIM project at the International Scientific Conference „Forest Science for a Sustainable Forestry and Human Wellbeing in a Changing World”, INCDS „Marin Drăcea”, 85 Years of Activity, Centenary of The Great Union

Implementing forest conservation measures may lead to lower revenues, opportunity costs and additional expenses for forest owners. Half of the German forest area is privately owned, where it is even more challenging to implement forest conservation. Besides fair monetary compensation for income reduction, forest conservation targets and measures sh...

Im Freiland können immer wieder raurindige bis grobborkige Individuen der Rotbuche (Fa-gus sylvatica L.) angetroffen werden. In einigen Waldgebieten Deutschlands kommen solche als „Steinbuchen“ bezeichnete Buchen mit erhöhter Frequenz vor. An der Verborkung der Buchenrinde sind zahlreiche unterschiedliche biotische und abiotische Faktoren beteiligt...

The Andes of northern Peru are still widely covered with forests, but increasingly suffer from habitat fragmentation. Subsequent soil degradation often leads to the abandonment of overused forests and pastures. Ecological knowledge on the restoration potential, e.g., on dependencies of soil conditions and altitude, is scarce. Therefore, we compared...

Ch., Sutcliffe L., Leuschner Ch., 2017. Assessing future suitability of tree species under climate change by multiple methods: a case study in southern Germany. Ann. For. Res. 60(1): _-_. Abstract. We compared results derived using three different approaches to assess the suitability of common tree species on the Franconian Plateau in southern Germ...

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is the prevailing tree species of mesic forests in Central Europe. Increasing summer temperatures and decreasing precipitation, as climate change scenarios predict, may, however, negatively influence beech growth and induce a shift to more thermophilous forest communities. Temperatures as expected in the future f...

Modelling 700 years of stand dynamics of a beech stand in the natural forest reserve Rhön.

Anthropogenic impacts such as global warming, land-use change and nitrogen deposition are affecting plant communities worldwide, and particularly alpine communities have been undergoing significant changes in recent years. We therefore analysed changes in the alpine calcareous grassland vegetation (Carex sempervirens and Carex firma communities) in...

The impact of historical and present drivers on forest biodiversity is poorly understood. A better understanding is mandatory to ensure conservation and appropriate management of biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the face of climate warming and increasing demand for wood products. Here, we assess forest management strategies for maintaining p...

While the postglacial history of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and the plant species composition of beech forests in Central Europe are fairly well understood, the faunal biodiversity has been less well investigated. We studied three groups of mostly sedentary organisms in beech forest at regional and European scales by combining field studies w...

We conducted an analysis of 45 reléves in the two forest nature reserves in the Bavarian Northern Limestone Alps designated for long-term research. The Totengraben reserve is located in the Fauna-Flora-Habitat (FFH)-area of the Mangfall Mts., and the Wettersteinwald reserve in the FFHarea of the Wetterstein Mts. The aim of the study was to develop...

Grid-based inventories of 1,924 deciduous forests plots in Germany and 4,775 in Romania were used to investigate tree species composition as affected by browsing and grazing under different forest management (rotation forestry, selectively cut forest, protected forest). At regional scale, the loss of tree species in the dominant layer was between 5...

A recent research concept prioritises 26 out of Bavaria’s 159 strict forest nature reserves for long-term observation. In 2013 the first permanent plot sample for ecological studies was established in four of the priority reserves. A total of 24 circular 314 m² vegetation plots were located within the large (1 ha) permanent core areas of six priori...

In this opinion paper we investigate the effects of forest management on animal and plant biodiversity by comparing protected areas with intensively and extensively managed forests in Germany and in Romania. We want to know the extent to which differences in diversity of Romanian compared to German forests are based on management. The number of tr...

We conducted an analysis of 45 reléves in the two forest nature reserves in the Bavarian Northern Limestone Alps designated for long-term research. The Totengraben reserve is located in the Fauna-Flora-Habitat (FFH)-area of the Mangfall Mts., and the Wettersteinwald reserve in the FFHarea of the Wetterstein Mts. The aim of the study was to develop...

A recent research concept prioritises 26 out of Bavaria's 159 strict forest nature reserves for long-term observation. In 2013 the first permanent plot sample for ecological studies was established in four of the priority reserves. A total of 24 circular 314 m(2) vegetation plots were located within the large (1 ha) permanent core areas of six prio...

While the postglacial history of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and the plant species composition of beech forests in Central Europe are fairly well understood, the faunal biodiversity has been less well investigated. We studied three groups of mostly sedentary organisms in beech forest at regional and European scales by combining field studies w...

Das "Grüne Buch" – ein auf geobotanischer Grundlage entwickelter Leitfaden für die Praxis in Forstwirtschaft und Naturschutz. Das Handbuch beschreibt die 52 natürlichen Waldgesellschaften Bayerns. Dazu informieren steckbriefartig Texte, Abbildungen und Zeichnungen über Verbreitung, Standort, Bodenvegetation, Baumarten, Naturschutz, Waldbau und Wald...

This article develops a hypothesis on spatial vegetation pat-terns within beech forests dominated by Fagus sylvatica. The hypothesis was revealed on an exemplary dataset of beech forests on acidic-oligotrophic soils (61 relevés from Steigerwald and Spessart) and on eutrophic calcareous sites (51 relevés from Hainich) with the aim to describe implic...

Biodiversity and forest management are analyzed for a 500 ha privately owned forest within the Natura 2000 area "ROSCI0122 Munţii Fagǎrǎş". Habitat types and indicator species are identified to measure environmental quality. Working towards an integrated approach to conservation, a range of options that will result in sustainable forest management...

A review of palaeobotanical results reveals crucial factors for understanding the current hot-spot biodiversity of natural and semi-natural non-wooded or sparsely wooded habitats in the cool-humid beech forest region. The potential natural vegetation of Bavaria represents a typical cross-section of the temperate forest region, covered by cool-humid...

Based on species lists from 34 East Bavarian strict forest reserves, we attempted to determine patterns of phytodiversity of ground vegetation (vascular plants and mosses) at different spatial scale levels (whole landscape, growth region, ecotope) and to ascertain the drivers for species diversity and species turnover. At the landscape level, the p...

Within the last 30 years the role of nitrogen in Central European forests has changed fundamentally from limiting resource to environmental problem. As the retrospective tracking of nutrient availability by soil chemical and biogeochemical measurements faces serious problems, bioindication based on understorey species composition is indispensable f...

This article develops a hypothesis on spatial vegetation patterns within beech forests dominated by Fagus sylvatica. The hypothesis was revealed on an exemplary dataset of beech forests on acidic-oligotrophic soils (61 relevés from Steigerwald and Spessart) and on eutrophic calcareous sites (51 relevés from Hainich) with the aim to describe implica...

The present article outlines the possible use of public Airborne Laserscanning (ALS) data, furnished by the Bavarian Land Survey Administration for the assessment, evaluation and monitoring of FFH areas (Special Areas of Conservation SAC). First of all, the different information levels of importance for a characterization of FFH areas are defined....

Through a comprehensive analysis of a broad indicator set of plants and animals, we analysed the characteristics and spe¬cificity of species composition of Central European beech forests. It was ascertained that beech forests, which are widely distributed and grow under different local site conditions, indeed comprise highly diverse communities. Fo...

A review of palaeobotanical results reveals crucial factors for understanding the current hot-spot biodiversity of natural and semi-natural non-wooded or sparsely wooded habitats in the cool-humid beech forest region. The potential natural vegetation of Bavaria represents a typical cross-section of the temperate forest region, covered by cool-humid...

Through a comprehensive analysis of a broad indicator set of plants and animals, we analysed the characteristics and spe¬cificity of species composition of Central European beech forests. It was ascertained that beech forests, which are widely distributed and grow under different local site conditions, indeed comprise highly diverse communities. Fo...

The present article outlines the possible use of public Airborne Laserscanning (ALS) data, furnished by the Bavarian Land Survey Administration for the assessment, evaluation and monitoring of FFH areas (Special Areas of Conservation SAC). First of all, the different information levels of importance for a characterization of FFH areas are defined....

Natürliche Fichtenwälder sind in Deutschland außerhalb des Hochgebirges ein seltener, auf Höhenlagen oberhalb der Buchenstufe und kleinflächige Sonderstandorte wie z.B. hohlraumreiche Block-Ansammlungen mit Kaltluftströmen oder lokalklimatisch kühl-feuchte, spätfrostgefährdete Moorwälder beschränkter Nadelwald. Auf derartigen, zur Anhäufung von org...

This contribution exemplifies the identification process of forest and scrub habitat types in northwestern Turkey, thereby following, and geographically extending, the vision of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS) to achieve conservation and sustainable use of biological and landscape diversity for the whole of Eur...

The implementation of standardised methods for the monitoring of NATURA 2000 sites in Europe is still a key topic in environmental research. Effective, economically priced and, as far as possible, automated applications are required. Rapidly developing sensor technology together with advanced image processing methods offer new possibilities for app...

Naturalness is one of the most important criteria in nature conservation. This paper examines the fundamental concepts underlying the definition and assessment of naturalness. Its role in nature conservation and forest management under conditions of global change is also discussed. The degree of naturalness may be defined in ordinal classes. The "s...