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Without the intervention of man, primarily oak and beech forests and, at higher altitudes, beech and fir forests would be found in the project area. Only with the clearing of the woods at the marshy foot of the slopes and the regular use of the land, did the large-scale fens and subsequent haymeadows develop.
Forest clearing started relatively early in the Untersberg Foreland. Between 800 and 1100 B.C. the vast contiguous forestland north of the Alps disappeared, making way for the familiar characteristic variety-rich landscape we have today.
At this time in the community of Grossgmain, farmsteads ("Schwaigen") were typically in use all year round, mostly for animal husbandry. Further clearings in the 13th and 14th century are indicated by field names such as "Wood Corner" (Holzeck) or "Beech Harrower" (Buchegger).
Due to conditions at the northern edge of the Alps and the rather high levels of precipitation, cleared land was used early on primarily as grasslands for the harvesting of fodder. With the emergence of field manuring in the second half of the 19th century these boggy, acidic meadows lost their importance as a source of fodder. Since then they have been used increasingly for the production of hay.
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