Historische Waldnutzung und Hochwasserentstehung: Was wissen wir über den Waldzustand und seine hydrologische Wirkung vor 200 Jahren?
Historical Forest Use and Flood Formation: What Do We Know About the State of the Forest and Its Hydrological Effects 200 Years Ago

Summary/Abstract: Floods play a major role in the Alpine region. Their formation is complex and not yet sufficiently clarified, especially as far as historical events are concerned. Although their magnitude and frequency are predominantly precipitation-driven, land cover and its changes also play a significant role. To estimate rainfall-runoff relationships, the analysis of historical flood events is highly relevant. However, it is a challenge to adequately reconstruct land cover and land use and their changes in the past. In this context, forests play a central role in the Alpine region, because they provide a strong attenuation for surface runoff. The area covered by forests, but also their structures, have been subject to strong fluctuations due to population development and mining since the early modern period, as they were the only energy resource of importance in historical times and provided additional space for agricultural activities. The overarching goal of a larger research project, the initial results of which are presented here, is to gain a better understanding of the land use and climate influence on the formation of historical, current, and future floods. Through historical research in the Tyrolean lowlands (municipality of Ellmau), the hydrologically relevant land use for the first half of the 19th century is reconstructed for the first time. The results are evaluated for their applicability/usability in the hydrological modelling of runoff conditions in the past.

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