"The Nowak company uses a machine that is normally used to maintain the middle forest of the Liebenburg forestry office. This means that workers don't have to fight their way through the thorny hedges," says Lucas Prescher, the new head of the Liebenburg forestry office. "The machine can also fell smaller trees. But some oak trees will remain on the site for landscape reasons.

"The calcareous grassland is to be restored," explains Dr. Michael Lücke, forester for forest ecology. Large shrubs and individual trees have spread across the area and hedges have taken over the formerly open space in many places. This development has resulted in a massive decline in species. With their rare plant and animal species, calcareous grasslands form a sensitive habitat. "Bushes and individual trees are now being removed from around 0.8 hectares. The tree stumps are being cleared so that the area can later be periodically maintained by machine after grazing," says Dr. Lücke. The aim is to preserve the total area of rough grassland in the area and to make maintenance easier and more economical by expanding and connecting the valuable areas in order to ensure its continued existence in the long term.

"The nature conservation value lies in the "lean" flora adapted to the location and the accompanying very rare insect fauna, which can cope on these stony-dry areas, while it perishes on more vigorous sites, i.e. it is not competitive enough against the species that grow abundantly there," explains Dr. Lücke.

The resulting hedge material is stored at the edge of the nature reserve until it is processed into energy wood and then chopped for transportation on site. For this purpose, part of the path below the Speckenberg will be closed for two to three days. The hiking trail towards Kassebusch will also be temporarily closed.

The project is being carried out in close coordination with the Lower Nature Conservation Authority of the city of Salzgitter.