Forest reserve monitoring in the Jorat Nature Park

Project lead

Andrin Gross

Deputy

Stefan Blaser

Project staff

Stefan Blaser
Andrin Gross

Project duration

2022 - 2023

Cooperation Financing

After the Sihlwald (ZH), the core zone of the Jorat Nature Park is the largest area of non-utilised forest on the Swiss Plateau. These forests serve two significant purposes: the preservation and protection of species reliant on old trees and deadwood (known as saproxylic species), and the promotion of natural ecological dynamics. To monitor the development of forests within the Jorat Nature Park, HAFL University of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences has established a network of observation plots for fungi and beetles in both the core zone and the transition zone.. By collecting data from these two areas, it becomes possible to assess the progression of unexploited forests in comparison to managed forests in the transition zone.

The primary objective of this collaborative project with HAFL is to conduct an inventory of deadwood fungi within the HAFL study areas. The main objectives are (i) to monitor the long-term development of saproxylic fungal diversity (ii) to assess the impact of forest abandonment on saproxylic biodiversity, comparing it to the transition zone within the Jorat Nature Park Deadwood fungi play a vital role in forest biodiversity and serve as indicators of the natural state of forests. Consequently, they provide an ideal basis for comparing reserves with managed forests, aiding in the evaluation of their ecological integrity.