Knüppeldamm Boardwalk Through Weyrichsbruch Spring Moor

On the 300 meter long wooden footbridge you can walk through the Weyrichsbruch spring moor without burdening this sensitive nature. An information board explains this special habitat. It is a nice section for hiking, you should only be careful when it is wet, because the wood can then become very slippery.

𝗪𝗲𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝘀𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗵 - 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗺 𝗥ö𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗼𝗽𝗳The 6.5 hectare “Weyrichsbruch” located in the Osburg district is one of the Hunsrück's spring moors that have been preserved to this day. Up until the 18th century, the quartz ridge of the Hunrück, rising above the plateau, was surrounded by a wreath of spring or hillside moors. These were naturally forested. In order to achieve better forestry use of such small bogs, the Hunsrück, as elsewhere, began increasingly to drain them - albeit not always with great success. Spring bogs with an intact water balance have therefore become extremely rare. Since they serve as a habitat for a large number of rare or rare plants and animals, they are urgently worthy of protection and also protected by law. Source: Text information board𝒁𝒖𝒓 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒓ü𝒄𝒌𝒔Several prerequisites must be met for spring bogs to develop. From the rock layers; Store and direct the precipitation (e.g. fissured quartzite and quartzite rubble; sufficient spring water must seep out all year round. This happens where the water meets water-retaining layers (e.g. Hunsrück slate or clay cover). Below these spring horizons, certain bog plants could then build up to several meters thick peat cover According to previous studies of the history of the Hunsrück moors, these moors began to form in many cases from the older subatlantic (since 500 BC) under gradually cooler and more humid climatic conditions. The quartzitic waters are extremely low in minerals. Since the water only flows slowly through the peat body, it comes There is only a small supply of nutrients required by plants, which is why the vegetation of the Weyrichsbruch and other spring bogs in the Hunsrück consists mainly of relatively undemanding plants

𝑷𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒛𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝑾𝒆𝒚𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒔𝒃𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒔The tree species that thrives relatively best in the oceanic western part of Europe on particularly nutrient-poor and wet soils is the downy birch. It forms sparse forests, as they typically occur in the Weyrichsbruch on a larger area today. In the undergrowth there is mostly pipe grass. Extensive peat moss cushions can still be found in some cases between the bults. The moor birch stands in the Weyrichsbruch are already very old: some of the trees, which are up to 140 years old according to tree ring counts, have already died or felled due to wind breakage. As a special feature, some plants were able to settle in a particularly heavily watered and therefore tree-free place within the bog birch forest, which are otherwise almost exclusively found in raised bogs: In addition to the cotton grass, the cranberry and the round-leaved sundew, these are mainly various mosses. The common name of the Weyrichsbruch as “Hochmoor am Rösterkopf” can be traced back to the occurrence of these species. But neither here nor other Hunsrück moors are raised bogs. The reason for the appearance of these plants is exclusively the lack of minerals in the spring water emerging from the quartzite. The remaining area of the Weyrichsbruch is today occupied by pipe grass and bracken stocks. The Weyrichsbruch also offers a habitat for many rare animal species. The occurrence of a large number is very closely tied to bogs. In addition to some of the numerous moths that occur, these include mainly spiders and ground beetles. Source: Text information board𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒖𝒕𝒛𝒎𝒂ß𝒏𝒂𝒉𝒎𝒆𝒏The Weyrichsbruch was not spared from drainage measures either. In order to counteract a further periodic drying out of various parts of the area and a further spread of bracken in particular, the closure of existing drainage ditches and the control of these measures is an important task. In the long term, the softwood forests in the area around the Weyrichsbruch are also to be transferred to deciduous forests that are appropriate to the location. The necessary measures are being carried out by the Osburg Forestry Office as part of the Ruwer water project. Source: Text information board