Location: west of Johanngeorgenstadt in the Ore Mountain region

SAC area: Low mountain range landscape near Johanngeorgenstadt (domestic identification number: 283)

SPA area: “Westerzgebirge” (domestic identification number: 77)

Brief description:
The Große Brauckmannhaide consists of several moor cores boasting depths of up to 2.5 meters. Most peat destruction occurred in the 1950s when the peat was removed all the way down to the mineral substrate and due to excavations A total of four moor areas remained, located east of the Hohlbauer man-made ditch and south of Steinbach-Wildenthal Street. The Große Brauckmannhaide has a comparably large hydrological catchment area that reaches southwest toward Rehhübel. Water flow into the moor area is hindered, however by a path (center section) and the Hohlbauer man-made ditch. The area within the Hohlbauer man-made ditch drains into the Steinbach, which joins the Schwarzwasser near Erlabrunn. Parts of the Großen Brauckmannhaide are currently regenerating and are still home to species native to the moor such as cottongrasses and peat mosses, but is still suffering the effects of existing drainage ditches. This moor region was named the “Große Brauckmannhaide” in honor of late moor and peat researcher Prof. GISBERT GROßE-BRAUCKMANN, who died in 2001.

Implementation of measures:
In September 2006, the environmental department of the district council of Chemnitz commissioned a hydrological survey and survey of the moors that encompassed detailed suggestions for actions to take to revitalize the moor. The following methods will be used to re-water the moors: Construction of dams in drainage ditches, construction of short irrigation ditches, and clearing of the layer of trees along the ditches. These measures aim to raise and unify the water level in the moor, in order to allow peat-forming plants to take root and spread as well as in order to kick-start peat growth. Included in the survey was an ecotope prognosis that assessed the potential ecotopes that might arise following complete re-watering and regeneration. According to this report, birch moor woodlands will tend to form with peat moss and cottongrass sedge meadows as well. In drier locations, as is the case in the remaining moor areas today, moor spruce and mountainous spruce woodlands will take shape. Practical work commenced in the moor in 2008 with the installation of 18 dams, which weren’t completed until 2009. Between 2010 and 2013, a total of 33 dams were installed by hand in three more construction phases, meaning they were built by hand. The last one followed in 2014 with the damming of the Hohlbauer man-made ditch using 20 dams in the ditch itself and in the neighboring inlets. In keeping with the requirements of the Landestalsperrenverwaltung (Reservoir Administration), the ditch still receives a continuous supply. Only a portion of the water and any overflow caused by heavy rain and snow melt flow into the moor area. Success was evident in increased marshiness over large swaths.

We coordinated all measures with the environmental protection authorities, the Staatsbetrieb Sachsenforst (Statutory Public Body for Forestry in Saxony) as a representative of the property owner, and the Landestalsperrenverwaltung (Reservoir Administration). We received financial support for the project from the sponsorship directive “Natürliches Erbe (Natural Heritage)”.