Thuringia: Air help for damaged Thuringian forests

Erfurt (dpa/th) - The Thuringian State Forestry Agency is currently using helicopters to buffer around 900 hectares of overly acidic forest soil with natural magnesium limestone from the region.

Thuringia: Air help for damaged Thuringian forests

Erfurt (dpa/th) - The Thuringian State Forestry Agency is currently using helicopters to buffer around 900 hectares of overly acidic forest soil with natural magnesium limestone from the region. This should reduce acid pollution and current air pollutant inputs, said spokesman Horst Sproßmann. The focus of the operations, which have been underway since the end of August, are the Finsterberg and Zwei Wiesen forest districts of the Frauenwald forestry office in the high areas of the Thuringian Forest. The helicopters drop about three tons of magnesium lime per hectare. There is no danger for forest visitors, it said. During the liming, however, short-term impairments are possible when entering the forest, and the fine particles can also lead to contamination of clothing.

Even after more than 30 years of liming and a significantly cleaner air, the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Slate Mountains and Southern Harz still need the help of the foresters. Only slowly sinking old acid pollution and currently still increased nitrogen inputs caused problems for many soils and the trees growing on them. The measure, funded by the Free State and the EU, costs several hundred thousand euros. According to Sproßmann, around 920 hectares of state forest were supplied with lime from the air in 2021.