Forest care in the Thurauen

Early in the morning at 8:30 the fog still hangs in the floodplain forests of the Thurauen. Wrapped up warmly and with the necessary work tools, we wait for the employees of Sika AG to spend a day together tending the sparse forest. The sparse forest is a special habitat that is essential for some species due to the mixture of forest areas and open grass areas. What is special is that to maintain this type of forest, bushes are cut and meadows are mown. Most people do not associate this with working in a nature reserve. In fact, people have always shaped the image of the landscape to a certain extent and ensured that forest clearings do not become overgrown with bushes and thus remain as open spaces.

The daily work

To allow more light to reach the ground and the bushes that need to be protected, the team from Sika AG felled hazels, picked blackberries and removed grape vines. The hazel is a fast-growing plant that develops an exuberant canopy of leaves after a while. But after being cut, the hazel is also a shrub that quickly regenerates. This is why a hazel can be cut very close to the ground. The cut bushes were chopped up and collected in piles. This creates new structures and keeps the seeds in the forest.

The well-deserved break and the sun greets

At lunchtime we were able to grill by the fire and feast on vegetables we had brought with us. The well-earned break was sweetened with coffee, chocolate and of course the syrup bar. As is often the case, the Himalayan balsam syrup was met with enthusiasm. Later we met the forester Beat Gisler, who told us about his forests. Ambroise Marchand, the project manager, also shared his knowledge of the forest and answered the participants' questions.

The afternoon also went well - we were filmed and photographed by the social media team. The sun came up and drove away the fog. We sweated not only from the exertion, but also from the slight warmth on our backs. At around 4 p.m. the work was done and we declared our day's work over. The work with Sika AG was fulfilling, enriching and exhausting! We then went home with a good feeling.