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CUTTING DATE
For many animal and plant species in our meadows the choice of cutting date is a decisive factor for their survival. Thus the requirements concerning cutting dates are an essential part of the ÖPUL nature conservation measures. An early as well as a late cut can have negative ecological impacts. Through an early cut on the one hand certain, late-flowering plant species cannot through their complete reproduction circle and on the other hand species, which have a storage system is adapted to a later cut, cannot accumulate enough nutrients in their roots in order to sprout with vitality after the cut. But also a late cutting date can be counterproductive from an ecological point of view. In the case of oatgrass meadows for instance a constant late cut can lead to a shift in the species spectrum with an increasing dominance of the oatgrass and the disappearance of other species. On certain wet meadows through a late cut there is a danger of tall shrubs spreading and with it a reduction of species diversity.
With the requirement "cutting date deferral" within the ÖPUL 2007 nature conservation measures an important contribution to the conservation of the natural beauty and ecological richness of our meadows is made. This obligation is linked to a date, but there exists also another version.
The calendar written by nature
When nature is unfolding, no year is the same. Flower or diaspore maturation are reliably recurring events during the course of one year, but these phenomena stick to our static calendar only to a limited extent. Differences with regards to the vegetation development and the maturity of meadows can amount to more than one month between low and high sea levels. Weather conditions, altitude, water supply and often also the conditions of the previous year are central factors behind these annually different developments. Accordingly the time when a meadow is ready to be cut will vary from year to year, with differences of up to 3 weeks in the long-time average. The annexed phaenological map show the differences in time of the beginning of flowering of selected grasses.
More flexibility with cutting dates with the measure "Phaenological cutting dates"
In connection with the ÖPUL nature conservation measures farmers in the provinces of Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria and Tyrol have the possibility to agree on cutting dates "which nature dictates". Instead of a fixed calendar date the cutting date is determined according to flower or fruit phases of indigenous plant species. The farmer gains due to a higher flexibility with the cutting date and a quality improvement of his harvest. For nature conservation this is a real chance for an optimization of ecologically valuable areas and also an increase in the acceptance of nature conservation measures.
How it works in practice
During the consultancy the farmer and the ecological expert select certain plant species (so-called indicator species) which will be used to determine the cutting dates in the future. This could be for example a black elderberry at the edge of a field or close to the farm house. Subsequently depending on the type of the meadow a suited development level (so-called phaeno level) of the observation plant like full flower of the black elderberry is chosen and the occurrence of this phaeno level will be set as the earliest possible cutting date in the future.
As soon as the farmer on-site with the help of the observation plant (e.g. the elderberry) notices, that the agreed phaeno level is reached, he can start cutting the meadow. During some years this will be the case earlier, during other years it will be later. Instead of a fixed and constant cutting date for the contractual period the farmer has the possibility to adjust the cutting date year after year and area by area to the respective vegetation developments.
Benefits and advantages for the farmers & for nature conservation
The main advantage for the farmers when applying the measure "Phaenological cutting date" is the increase in flexibility and the improvement of the quality of his harvest. The frequency of a bad harvest due to weather conditions should diminish. From the point of view of nature conservation an early or late cut can be largely avoided as long as the choice of the indicator species and the linked phaeno levels has been done with diligence. This ensures a high success rate for nature conservation objective with regards to species occurrence, and the ecological structure of valuable areas.
Renaissance of an old peasant tradition - nature monitoring
Through practical application, monitoring and reporting of phaenologic events by farmers an important step towards the development of a monitoring network, which helps to improve the knowledge about nature developments in different regions and altitudes, is achieved. This "Phaeno approach" follows the old peasant tradition of monitoring and recording nature phenomena occurring on the farm. With the monitoring of phaeno levels by farmers and the reporting with the help of simple standardized forms the activity of observing nature on the farm is revitalized. In addition the monitoring of plant species improves the connection of the farmers with typical nature phenomena in the immediate surroundings of their cultivated areas.
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