New reforestation attempt: Heessener Schacht 7 becomes the forest

New reforestation attempt: Heessener Schacht 7 becomes the forest

A former colliery site in the Hamm district of Heessen is facing a new reforestation. The city's environmental agency plans to undergo part of the area in winter after a further greening after the first attempt from 2015/2016 did not bring the desired success. Although trees have been planted there for almost a decade, the site is still incomplete and has clear defects in the forest cover.

The plantings that initially brought many plants into the otherwise remote area did not lead to a closed forest, as hoped for by the planners. The current situation is described as "surface covered" and partly "fully overgrown". This may seem acceptable at first glance, but on closer inspection it becomes clear that real forest conditions have not been made here.

The challenges of afforestation

At an inspection date with the Heessen forest club, it became clear that the site was only sparsely overgrown with trees. While grasses and shrubs have developed well, the alder, pastures, maple, pine and oak have won the ground. Trees such as beech trees and fluttering, on the other hand, had difficulties to adapt.

The conditions on the shaft 7 terrain are unfavorable: the water availability fluctuates strongly between dryness and moisture, and the sun often shines intensely on the surface. It is particularly critical that when the old buildings are demolished, many remaining concrete remained in the ground that prevent the root growth of the newly planted trees. In addition, rumors are circulating among the members of the forest club about the quality of the soil that RAG may have delivered here.

But despite these difficulties, the environmental office has a plan to promote nature reproduction. Peter Martin, who is responsible for these initiatives, announced that a local mixed forest that is suitable for location should now be created. The central tree species will be the oak, supplemented by hornbeam, winterlinde, elsberry and aspe. This diversity is intended to help increase the resistance of the new forest.

The story of shaft 7

shaft 7 is part of the Westphalia colliery and has a long history. From 1976 it was worked on the shaft at a depth of 1,330 meters, which was later used as a weather shaft and on the material and cable trip. After the funding was discontinued in 2000, the shaft was filled up a year later. The environmental and forest association already campaigned for a renaturation of the site, but it took until 2010 for the dilapidated buildings to be demolished.

Although the floor plan of the colliery area was initially dark after the demolition, the city of Hamm finally announced the purchase of the area from RAG in January 2019. Since then, steps have been taken to lead the area back to nature. The planned reforestation is the next step in the transformation of this former industrial area and could play an important role in the recovery of valuable habitats for flora and fauna.