Carr (landform)

As Bruchwald ( break for swampy area ) is referred to in common parlance a permanently wet, temporarily also dammed, swampy forest. Can thus be distinguished from regularly flooded alluvial forests, which are dominated by rivers with a strong water level dynamics Bruchwald.

• 3.1 bog forests in North America
• 3.2 peat forests in Southeast Asia

Description of the biotope

Landscape Ecological and phytosociological the term swamp forest is relatively narrow. A "real" Bruchwald therefore characterized by the following features:

• The locations are permanently grundwassernah; Fluctuations located above or just below ground level the water table is less than one meter during the year usually.
• Floods are mainly in early spring (after snow melt ) and will last for several weeks to months.
• Floods are - in contrast to alluvial forests - registered and deposited hardly inorganic sediments such as sand and silt.
• The upper floor consists of a minimum of 10 to 20 centimeters powerful, produced by the forest itself peat layer of more or less decomposed plant material.

In addition to these ideal-typical forms occur in the landscape transitions to other forest communities, which from the deviation of certain exogenous location factors such as bases and nutrients, proportion of mineral substrate, duration of flooding, choppiness of the water body, human intervention ( for example, in the water balance ) and other yield more and lead to a different vegetation composition.

Other forms of wet forests in Central Europe include floodplain forests, wet forests and source characteristics of oak -hornbeam and birch - oak forests. Bruchwald Similar forests, but for example not meet the criterion of the corresponding peat depth, are often classified as "other swamp forests " in nature conservation. This is true even if both the dominant tree species and the plant species of the herb layer (see below) those of "real" swamp forests same.

An undisturbed swamp forest is seen as natural, azonal forest community that represents a stable climax stage of vegetation under these site conditions. All companies of real swamp forests are ecologically landscape understood as shaped by tree vegetation Moore. Depending on the hydrology of the respective peat type and the resulting bases and nutrients are forms minerotropher fens or - hydrologically disturbed but sometimes - mainly rain -fed transition and fells. In particular, the latter are also called bog forests and are characterized by moderately to strongly acidic soils. Some authors use the terms ( sour ) swamp forest and bog forest interchangeably, while others differentiate between primary and secondary swamp forest swamp forest on drained Armmoor sites.

Types of swamp forests in Central Europe

Alder swamps

Alder forests often grow on better nutrient supplied fen soils with emphasis on planar to submontane regions. The name derives from the dominant characteristic species of alder ( Alnus glutinosa). It is typical in the trees of the trunk base provided with stilt roots; Thanks to its adventitious roots, the black alder strong waterlogging and fluctuating water levels relatively more gracefully than many other tree species. The understory ( herbaceous layer ) is seggenreich ( for example with the rolling - sedge, Carex elongata or marsh sedge, Carex acutiformis ); often free water surfaces are formed, in which the small duckweed ( Lemna minor) floats. Other characteristic species of this habitat type are bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara ) and the snake -root ( Calla palustris). At forbs settled here among other water hemlock ( Cicuta virosa ), agrimony ( Eupatorium cannabinum ), Shore Wolfstrapp ( Lycopus europaeus ), Common Loosestrife ( Lysimachia vulgaris), purple loosestrife ( Lythrum salicaria ), tongue (Ranunculus lingua ) and river dock ( Rumex hydrolapathum ).

Phytosociological the Association of alder forests is ( Alnion glutinosae ) depending on hydrological and edaphic site conditions as well as the geography of plants in Central Europe differentiated in the following associations:

• Bog harrow alder, Carici laevigatae - Alnetum ( euatlantisch )
• Walzenseggen - alder, Carici elongatae - Alnetum ( subatlantisch - subcontinental )
• Torfmoosreicher alder forest, Sphagno - Alnetum ( in the high altitudes of the mountains)

After the nutrients more subassociations therein may be distinguished; the most common and widely used Walzenseggen - Erlenbruchwald example, the nutrient-rich irises - alder, the typical alder swamp with sedges or Sumpffarn and mesotraphente bog birch alder. After drainage measures can be found depending on vormaliger controlled company blackberry, fern or nettle rich degeneration stages, which represent more humid to swamp forests after the mineralization of the peat body. The so-called smock - alder or alder - source forest (including with Milzkräutern and bitterness Schaumkraut ) forms a transitional society to the alder-ash riparian forests from Alno Ulmion ( Hartholzaue ) and is often attributed rather this.

Usually a precursor of ( alder ) swamp forests is in the succession sequence of phytosociological association Salicion cinereae ( willows and swamp forests ), which grows on wet Anmoor gleys or Niedermoortorfen and is determined by shrub willow as the eponymous gray willow and the ear - candy. Other characteristic species of different associations of this association include the shrub birch, bay willow and bog.

Birch, pine and spruce breaks

Birch swamp forests grow on relatively nutrient-poor acidic peat soils at the edge of high and intermediate bogs as well as dystrophic waters. Secondary can also degraded, so drained raised bog sites of birch or pine wet forests ( " bog forests " ) be taken. In very acid - nutrient-poor sites ( central high moorland ) merely bog shrubs develop with reduced vigor. In favorable nutrient supply of these locations take on a forest character. The herb layer is often characterized by the dominance of peat mosses (Sphagnum ) in partially dehydrated forms by dwarf shrubs (Vaccinium ), purple moor grass ( Molinia caerulea) or bracken ( Pteridium aquilinum ).

A competitive advantage of bog birch and pine forest towards the alder is in particular such a swamp soils with base supply falls below a certain minimum. Whether or not rather then enforce bog birch, Scots pine or spruce as the main tree species depends on the large climatic conditions from: In the Atlantic- subatlantisch embossed northwest of Central Europe Moorbirke comes to the fore, in the subcontinental to continental area next to this, the jaw, in mountains and in North Eastern spruce. At moderate base supplied transition locations occur corresponding intermediate forms between birch and alder carr.

Be Phytosociological within the Association of birch and pine swamp forests ( Betulion pubescentis ) the following companies:

• Birch carr, Betuletum pubescentis: Atlantic- subatlantisch widespread, lights bog birch forest on nutrient-poor peat soils at the edge of raised bogs and dystrophic waters in the wet oligotrophic area.
• Noise Beer- forest pine swamp forest, Vaccinio uliginosi - Pinetum sylvestris: Subatlantisch to subcontinental occurring, natural, light bog woodland bog - Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris fo turfosa. ) And bog birch; widespread in the north-west German lowlands.
• Pine swamp forest, Ledo - Pinetum sylvestris: Nordic - continental spread society bog edges ( in Germany east of the Elbe ) with a differentiating marsh Labrador tea ( Ledum palustre ).
• Carpathian Birkenbruch, Betuletum carpaticae: Lights birch bog forest with a differentiating Carpathian birch (Betula pubescens ssp carpatica. ) At the edges quelliger high and intermediate bogs in the montane altitudes of the mountains, for example in Ebbegebirge, in the Spessart, Solling and Kaufunger forest.

In addition, spruce swamp forests are classified in the class of boreal - subalpine coniferous forests ( Vaccinio - Piceetea ) and this, among other things, the associations

• Spruce bog forest, Vaccinio - Piceetum ( in the montane to subalpine altitudinal belt of the Alps and mountain ranges ) and
• Mountain pine bog forest, Vaccinio uliginosi - Pinetum rotundatae ( " Spirkenmoore " in the foothills and in various mountain ranges ) are distinguished. In the former, the acts spruce (Picea abies) as a differentiating, in the latter, the Moor - Spirke (Pinus × rotundata and Pinus mugo ssp. Uncinata ) as characteristic species.

Bruch-/Moorwälder world

Bog forests in North America

In the boreal zone of North America are bog woodland with black spruce (Picea mariana ) and Ostamerikanischer Larch ( Larix laricina ), and Occidental (Thuja occidentalis) developed. In the south and southeast of the United States put together swamp bogs and bog forests, from the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum ) and the tupelo ( Nyssa aquatica ) exist. The best known example is the Everglades in Florida. It is flooding Moore in river valleys and in coastal areas or by running water fed Versumpfungsmoore.

Peat forests in Southeast Asia

Indonesia's forests are predominantly grown on powerful Torfflözen. Here, especially in Sumatra and Borneo, the largest peat forests found worldwide, the trees can be up to 50 meters high. These include a total of Moore about 170,000 km ², almost half the size of Germany. On one hectare can accommodate up to 120 species of trees. Also characteristic is the high diversity of pitcher plants. Causes of peat formation are very low slope of the terrain and the large water masses, which bring the rivers from the interior to the coastal plains. In the rainy season the water is dammed and flooded the forest floor for months.

Endangering

Risk are break Forests in Europe by means of drainage and subsequent agricultural or forestry use, such as afforestation with biotope alien tree species (especially hybrid poplars ). Eutrophication is considered to be more risk cause in particular the nutrient-poor sub- societies, as this strong growing, nitrophilous shrubs displace the weaker competitive bog plants. ( Further reading on risk of peatlands in Article Moor. )

Others

• Near-natural sour - swamp forests (primary bog forests) are identified as "priority habitats " in Annex I of the EU Fauna-Flora -Habitat Directive listed (Natura 2000 Code 91D0; definition see, for example ). For such occurrences specially protected areas need to be established.
• In particular, in Brandenburg the alder swamps yet received are referred to as " Elsbruch ". Els is the Low German term for alder.