Sustainable management of the Hofheim municipal forest

"Since our certification in 2016, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has awarded us top marks year after year for the management of Hofheim's municipal forest and attested to the fact that our work is very close to nature. Now we have the seal of approval that this is still the case," says Mayor Christian Vogt. "We are pleased that we were able to regain the FSC certificate for our municipal forest as expected. The quality of work of our own foresters and contractors as well as the natural management of the municipal forest were rated positively," says Councillor Bernhard Köppler, responsible for the municipal forest.

The FSC certification system is organized by an internationally active private-law association for the promotion of environmentally friendly, socially beneficial and economically viable forest management and ensures the responsible use of global forest resources. If a forest owner wishes to be certified, they commission an independent certification company. This verifies the forest owner's working methods and objectives according to defined criteria and confirms their compliance with the FSC standard. FSC certificates are valid for a period of five years.

The FSC's certification approach is based on ten principles that are equally aligned with economic, social and ecological environmental interests. Adapting the basic principles and criteria of the FSC to regional conditions in the form of national FSC forest management standards is the task of the FSC Working Group Germany

With an operational area of 1,414 hectares, the Hofheim municipal forest is the largest municipal forest property in the Main-Taunus district. In companies with more than 1,000 hectares of forest land, FSC requires five percent of the forest area to be taken out of use as reference areas. At present, 8.7 percent of the company area is not under cultivation.

At the time of the last inventory in 2011, the dominant tree species were beech (34 percent) and oak (33 percent). Mixed tree species include pine (7 percent), spruce (6 percent) and other hardwoods such as maple, ash, cherry, alder, poplar and many others. Three percent of the trees are Douglas fir. With the exception of spruce, whose share has currently fallen to 2 percent, the other tree species are essentially unchanged. The FSC allows a maximum proportion of 20 percent of non-native tree species per forest stand.

The most important functions, in addition to the sustainable production of the renewable raw material wood, are the recreational and protective functions of the forest. The city has clearly defined the order of priority of the objectives. Recreation and the protective effects of the forest come first. However, it should not be forgotten that these functions are to be co-financed by forest management. For example, the surpluses from timber harvesting are invested in nature conservation measures, traffic safety, waste disposal, benches and rest areas and the many and very well-developed forest paths.