Facts
Forst- und Landwirtschaftsbetrieb der Stadt Wien, Österreichische Bundesforste ÖMG, Ökoteam
In the course of this Wienerwald BR project, in Co operation with Forstamt und Landwirtschaftsbetrieb der Stadt Wien (MA 49) and ÖBf AG, the wood is sampled several times a year over an observation period of 10 years, trapping, collecting and identifying beetles and fungi respectively.
While decomposing, wood is colonised by a range of fungi and insects. Many of these are rarities, as their habitat – the wood from old, strong trees – is not easy to find nowadays, owing to hundreds of years of woodland management. It is largely unknown in which order fungi and insects occur in the course of years and centuries and how they process the dead and dying wood. The core zones of the BR which are now free from regular commercial forestry are therefore ideal for this research.
The samples evaluated so far indicate 131 beetle species which can be assigned to 48 beetle families. Notably, 14 of these species are on the Red List of Endangered Species for Austria. As far as fungi are concerned, it has been possible so far to identify 63 deadwood-dependent species in the core area of Mauerbach alone. As far as the sequence of fungi is concerned, experts have already been able to clearly identify a succession of certain species of fungi. The first phase of extensive analyses of the core zone ‘Johannser Kogel’ has been completed; it has produced remarkable results.
