Assessing the naturalness of forest ecosystems in the National Park Thayatal (Austria)

In the Thayatal National Park, E.C.O. is carrying out a naturalness survey in forest stands in 2024. The aim is to evaluate the development of forests into natural forests using extended hemeroby indicators. 40 representative areas will be examined on the basis of a sampling network. The methodology follows the hemeroby evaluation system according to Grabherr et al. (1998), supplemented by current developments. Among other things, the combination of tree species, deadwood, regeneration, stand structure and utilization influences were recorded. The results serve as an indicator for the success of the external utilization and enable a well-founded assessment of the ecological development in the national park.