Peatland of Dahner Felsenlandschaft in Germany

The Dahner Felsenlandschaft wetland is located in the heart of the Pfälzerwald Nature Park in the German Vosges mountains. We assist in restoring and maintaining the wetlands as part of nature protection measures. This wetland consists of a stream that feeds a peat bog, an area rich in decomposed biological matter (peat), which has been storing carbon for centuries. Having been drained several decades ago, the project aims to restore the wetland's hydraulic functions to keep this precious ecosystem wet. In addition to its capacity to store large quantities of carbon, it retains and filters water and is an exceptional biotope home to specific flora and fauna.

Dahner Felsenlandschaft is a wetland, so our forestry team will not be planting on this land. The biodiversity team is responsible for the restoration.

The planned measures should make it possible to conserve the peat while initiating a transformation into a functional peat bog. Rewetting the peat means thinning out woody plants and promoting typical heathland vegetation. The project area has been precisely determined using peatland mapping to identify suitable sections for raising the riverbed and determine the water retention structures' location. The side ditches will be filled in with sections of peat. It will also be necessary to erect wooden sheet-pile dykes to ensure that the water covers the peat - to avoid CO2 emissions.