OCR Text |
Show Research on Sub- Alpine Reforestation The first problem investigated by the research group at Innsbruck was the prospective effects of reforestation on timber production and agriculture. It was shown that agricultural production and forestry revenues could be improved by reforestation and by improvement of alpine farming practices. With this preliminary question settled, the basic goal became the re-establishment of the alpine forests to their climatologically possible timberline. The over- all objectives of the research were to determine: 1. Natural conditions in the sub- alpine zone. 2. The current disturbance of the natural equilibrium. 3. Ways to restore the equilibrium. Research was aimed at the sub- alpine zone between the uppermost tree growth, ( shrubs, scrub timber) and the lowermost penetration of alpine species into the forests. From the beginning it was assumed that success could be achieved'only by viewing the problem as an ecological whole. The plant communities and the terrain in which they occur had to be treated as a single, inter- reacting entity. Two lines of attack were adopted. One was investigation in an ecological laboratory (" climate house") erected on the Patscherkofel near Innsbruck. This afforded research under controlled climate conditions into the ecology of plant types. Results from this study were connected with those from the second line of investigation, a field study which produced information on ecology of terrain. The principal field site was located in the Oetz Valley near Obergurgl , from the valley floor at about 1800 meters altitude to the slopes up above to 2900 meters, This site was chosen because it offered a wide variety of slopes and exposures as well as having a geology and climate representative of the Central Alps. Field |