Samstag, 6. September 2025, Ganztägig Uhr
Our knowledge of the fern flora in the cantons of St. Gallen and Appenzell Innerrhoden remains incomplete compared to other regions. For this exciting excursion, we have chosen the north-facing Steineggwald (SG) near Speicher (AR), located a few kilometers southeast of St. Gallen, to help fill this gap.
In the morning, we will be accompanied by Urban Hettich, the district forester, who will introduce us to the complexities of forest management. He will also address the question of whether and how ferns can be promoted in a managed forest. After a lunch break at the Horstegghütte, we will continue exploring other parts of the forest and establish monitoring plots for our SwiF project. Given the forest’s elevation and structural diversity, we can expect a rich fern flora, including numerous first records. Who knows—we may even encounter a surprise, such as the rarely recorded Remote Wood Fern (Dryopteris remota), which has an unconfirmed sighting in a nearby forest.
Excursion leaders: Michael Kessler and Urban Hettich (district forester)
Meeting point & public transport connections:
10:15 AM, „Schützengarten, Bahnhof“ (Departure from St. Gallen: S21 towards Trogen at 9:56 AM); Arrival at „Schützengarten, Bahnhof“ 10:13 AM
Return travel options:
4:31 PM from „Schützengarten, Bahnhof“, S21 towards St. Gallen (arrival at 4:52 PM); 4:37 PM from „Schwarzer Bären“, also S21 towards St. Gallen (same train)
What to bring:
A good hand lens, identification literature, weather-appropriate clothing, picnic
Registration:
Last-minute registrations are welcome – please email muriel.bendel@feldbotanik.ch or michael.kessler@systbot.uzh.ch so we can provide updates or inform you of any last-minute changes.