German Unity Transport Project 8

Maintal flood channel - Heudrusch seeding

Approximately 20.5 hectares of the open flood channel areas will be greened using so-called " Heudrusch" seedlings. This means that the seed is obtained using a complex procedure from certain ecologically-valuable grassland areas in the vicinity of the construction project. The newly-seeded areas then correspond genetically with the native flora, and the vegetation that emerges is of the type that over the centuries has adapted to the local climate and soil.

The high quality of the donor areas enables the flood channels to be colonized with a diverse plant community, and to be extensively and permanently used as grassland. This native vegetation - i.e. plants from a certain region - grows differently to traditional grass seedling mixes, creating a diverse and powerful root system that helps the area to survive dry periods. The strong and branched roots provide excellent erosion protection for the seeded slope areas sown in the event of flooding or heavy rain.

In addition, the Heudrusch areas quickly form a high-quality ecological habitat, as there are no plant growth problems similar to the ones created by non-native plants. In addition to flowering plants and grasses, the process also transmits other organisms such as mosses, lichens and fungi.

A few months after the Heudrusch was seeded, floriferous vegetation has grown in the flood channels. (Photo: DB AG)