WINALPecobase – ecological database of mountain forests in the Bavarian Alps

Abstract

WINALPecobase (GIVD ID EU-DE-003) is an ecological database of mountain forest plots in the Bavarian Alps (Germany). Created in 2009, the database features the following characteristics: (1) 1,505 georeferenced forest relevés with concomitant soil profile descriptions, (2) placement across the whole study area (ca. 4,600 km²) according to a design that combines systematic and stratified sampling, (3) consistent standards for vegetation and soil inventory, and (4) extensive quality control of the database. The database is available for collaborative research.

Regional and site-related patterns of soil nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium stocks and Norway spruce nutrition in mountain forests of the Bavarian Alps

“…In contrast, the percentage of critical areas in the Bavarian Alps reported in our study is smaller than the area percentage of critical or very critical sites (about 70 %) estimated by Kolb and Göttlein (2012) on the basis of a soil type survey. Combination of the critical site factors identified in our study with the WINALP-ecobase dataset (Reger et al 2012) or with a regionalized combined assessment of site substrate class, elevation, and aspect using the WebGIS expert system of Kolb (2012), which is accessible in the web (http:// arcgisserver.hswt.de/Winalp/index.swf) should enable forest managers to judge the sensitivity of sites in the Bavarian Alps with high spatial (forest stand) resolution.…”

Plant indicators for Folic Histosols in mountain forests of the Calcareous Alps

“…The inventory of vegetation and soil was carried out in 2009 and 2010 following a combined systematic (National Forest Inventory grid; Schnell and Bauer, ) and stratified design ensuring an area‐wide, representative and balanced sample of vegetation plots and detailed descriptions of soil profile morphology (see Reger et al, for details). The data are stored in the WINALPecobase (GIVD ID EU‐DE‐003 in Dengler et al, ).…”

“…Climate data (monthly sums of precipitation and the mean temperature) were extracted from the results of Zimmermann et al (). These data had been generated by spatial interpolation of data from 14 climate stations of the German Meteorological Service over the period 1971 to 2000, a 10‐m resolution digital terrain model and geographic co‐ordinates (Fischer, Michler, & Ewald, ; see Reger et al, for details). The spatial data consist of the co‐ordinates transformed to cubic trend regression as recommended by Legendre ().…”

“…Vegetation composition was recorded on 14 m 2 × 14 m 2 plots with visual cover estimation on a six‐class scale (Braun‐Blanquet, ) distinguishing tree layers one (dominant) and two (subordinate, >5 m), shrub (1–5 m), herb and epigeic cryptogam layers. Species growing on rocks, roots and dead wood were not recorded (Reger et al, ). After selecting only herb and cryptogam layer occurrences, the compositional matrix contained 754 remaining plant species (571 vascular, 169 bryophytes and 14 lichens).…”

BERGWALD – the vegetation database of mountain forests in the Bavarian Alps

“…However, the WINALP project (Ewald 2009b; http://www.winalp.info) has delivered 1,505 new forest relevés with soil profile descriptions placed systematically throughout the whole region (Reger et al 2012). Chiefly designed to verify GISmapping of potential forest types, this new data set will be suitable for direct gradient analysis and modelling across the larger region.…”