Project Lünten Forest
Our research station in the Lünten Forest is a project between the LWL-Museum of Natural History and the Institute for Landscape Ecology from the University of Münster. The tower measures the greenhouse gases in a peatland forest before and after rewetting which makes this project unique worldwide. The station is located around 70 km west of Münster close to the city of Vreden in Kreis Borken.
Project Lünten forest provides observations through continuous eddy covariance (EC) measurements of CO₂ and energy fluxes since May 2025. The tower is 30 meters high and equipped with CO₂, methane, water vapour sensors together with sensor to measure the meteorological conditions (wind speed and direction, humidity, radiation and precipitation). With these instruments we can measure the ecosystems status of CO₂ exchange. In addition, we measure the soil temperature, humidity and heat flux to better understand how environmental changes impact the gas exchange between the Lünten forest and the atmosphere.
Our long-time goal is to gain insight into different ecological processes in a rewetted forest. This is crucial for future rewetting projects. The project is meant as an example for climate protection and adaptation strategies in regional areas.