Wernigerode (dpa/sa) - Around Schierke in the Harz Mountains, forest workers started a large-scale operation on Thursday to remove dead wood. "In a first step, standing and lying deadwood will be removed from an area of around 20 hectares," said a spokesman for the forest ministry. The work with harvesters and a cable crane system should last several weeks.
Forest fire prevention measures should be implemented as quickly as possible, said Forest Minister Sven Schulze (CDU) at the start of the work. "A first important step is to eliminate the fire load in the Schierke area. Protecting residential buildings from fires - that was one of our main concerns." The clearance is intended to facilitate firefighting in the area. The district of Harz, the city of Wernigerode, the state and the administration of the Harz National Park had agreed on this.
According to a six-point plan by these four actors, in addition to clearing deadwood around residential buildings, firebreaks should be built and the removal of deadwood generally expanded. At the beginning of September, a fire raged for about a week, damaging several hectares of forest on the Brocken. According to the Ministry of Forestry, deadwood is an obstacle to rapid and effective firefighting.
