The aim of the proposed project is the development and establishment of an instrument for the provision of criteria which allow identifying suitable locations for biomass production - outside of productive food production areas - based on their local (soil, water balance, climate, etc.) site conditions. This assessment method to be developed will be able to be used for determining and evaluating yield potentials of bioenergy plants at sites of different soil quality more reliably than previously possible. The soil assessment method will thus be able to help delineating the suitability and potential of marginal lands for the production of biomass.

Project staff: apl. Prof. Dr. Dirk Freese, Dr. Werner Gerwin, Dr. Frank Repmann, Michael Kanzler
Duration: 01.09.2020 - 31.08.2023
Funding: Förderprogramm Nachwachsende Rohstoffe: BMEL (Projektträger: FNR)

BeonNAT Project aims to increase knowledge in obtaining different bioproducts from woody species, trees and shrubs, currently underused. The project assesses the key aspects in the value chain including a selection of the and includes a selection of the most adequate species for different European countries. BeonNAT is based on the following concepts: mixed cultivation of selected woody species in marginal lands using the coppice management method and to obtain of a cascade of products within the biorefinery conception. BTU is responsible for work package 2 "Biomass cultivation, harvesting, logistics and supply plan".

Project staff: apl. Prof. Dr. Dirk Freese, Dr. Werner Gerwin, Dr.-Ing. Steffi Schillem
Duration: 01.07.2020 - 30.06.2025
Funding: EU H2020 / Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI)

SoilWater aims to develop innovative measures for the sustainable improvement of the landscape water balance in regions of Europe and East Asia, in order to contribute to the achievement of SDG 6. An improved use of the water storage potential of forest soils is of central importance. The results of the project work will flow into practical recommendations for forest owners and forest administrations to optimize water storage in the soil of forests. The German sub-project in the SoilWater network exemplarily focuses on locations in Lusatia (Brandenburg) that are severely disturbed by mining. With its long-term data series already available and the possibility of establishing additional permanent observations, the research platform "Hühnerwasser" (Chicken Creek) offers an excellent basis for the identification of effects of developing tree populations on the water balance of an ecosystem. There are also numerous locations in the lignite mining area where data has already been collected that can be used for the SoilWater goals. The post-mining landscapes also offer the best opportunities for chronosequence studies on the development of the relationships between tree species, humus contents and water storage capacity of the developing soils.

Project staff: Dr. Werner Gerwin, Michael Kanzler
Duration: 01.06.2020 - 31.05.2023
Funding: EIG CONCERT Japan (Joint Call 2019: Smart Water Management for Sustainable Society) / BMBF (Projektträger DLR)

The collaborative project investigates the effects of different forest management strategies of forest fire areas on the ecosystemic development. Using permanent observation plots, areas with a history of fire are analysed and the potential and effectiveness of natural regeneration processes in the ecosystem are recorded in order to formulate recommendations for dealing with fire-damaged areas. The PYROPHOB subproject 3 "Soil conditions and soil fauna" (BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg) includes includes the sub-task "Soil". The subproject focuses on soil characterization as basis for the overall site assessment and on matter translocation processes in burned forest soils.

Project staff: apl. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schaaf, Prof. Dr. Thomas Raab, Dr. Werner Gerwin, Dr. Frank Repmann
Duration: 01.05.2020 - 30.04.2025
Funding: Waldklimafonds: BMEL / BMU (Projektträger: FNR)