Vegetation monitoring of former mining areas in the debris ditches Gseng and Weissenbachl (1. Repetition) Part I: Gseng

The vegetation of 35 sample areas in the Gsenggraben (initial survey: 2012) was re-examined and its development assessed. Especially in the area of the former mining or works area in the lowest section, a forced succession towards purple and lavender pasture-rich pioneer bushes took place. In the middle section (environment Gsengquelle), the refilled debris flow caused in part a regressive development as a result of excess debris. As expected, the uppermost part, which was only slightly affected by the former dismantling, has hardly changed. The vegetation development of 35 plots located in the Gseng Canyon, which were set in 2012, was reexamined. Especially in the lower section we find a noticeable succession towards pioneer willow shrubbery with Salix eleagnos and S. purpurea. In the middle section, the revived scree debris is pushing forward and has already buried several plots. The Upper Section, which has never been much affected by the former mining, shows only minor change.