From 30 April to 4 May 2025, the field trip of this year's Bachelor study project, titled 'Landscape Ecological Characterisation of a Forest Landscape', took place. Around 20 students gained practical experience in the field, learning how to record and evaluate geo-ecological site characteristics and anthropogenic influences in the study area on the Polsterberg near Clausthal-Zellerfeld in the Harz mountains. Due to extensive forest damage, caused by drought and bark beetle infestation, the forest area is subject to special dynamics, making it particularly suitable for observing and evaluating landscape-ecological processes. The students applied established fieldwork methods such as soil profile analysis, floristic surveys and land use mapping, as well as field surveys using drone-based remote sensing. They also assessed human-environment relationships, such as the provision of ecosystem services. Over the course of the summer semester, the data collected, along with additional secondary data, will be evaluated and interpreted in the overall context. The aim is to characterize and understand the various interrelationships at different spatial scales in the study area’s complex human-environmental system.
