Forest worker and forester trail in Latrop

Starting at the lumberjack museum in the "Alte Mühle" in Latrop, which has been exhibiting old tools, pictures of forest and village life, old forestry records and the development of chainsaws since 2003, the trail continues through Latrop's forests via a further 15 stations.The second stop is the charcoal kiln, where charcoal used to be produced in an elaborate process.Then you come to the old oak tree. This is already around 180 years old and is suffering from the onset of crown thinning. However, this dying process plays an important role for nature. It provides a habitat for more than 260 species of insects.Fourthly, you come to a wooden bridge. This represents the power of wood.The fifth station shows a so-called "division stone". The division of the forest into different sections is important to guarantee the sustainable maintenance of a healthy mixed forest. This makes the forest more resistant to insect plagues, drought, storms and climate change.You can then see the effects of the storm "Kyrill" in 2007. A large number of young trees were planted in the wide gaps left by this storm in order to rejuvenate the forest.The seventh station illustrates that a tidy forest could not survive without leaves, needles, twigs or branches. Microorganisms use these nutrients to produce new humus, which is vital for the trees.This takes you to the 8th station. This shows the containment of forest development through targeted grazing of suitable cattle breeds. This grazing ensures a higher diversity of species.The phenomenon of "branch cleaning" is shown at the next station. As the trees grow, their branches touch each other. If the branches touch, there is a lack of light and the trees begin to lose their branches.The 10th station shows the importance of deadwood for the forest. Around 80% of the animal and plant species threatened with extinction depend on this wood.At the 11th station you can see the training base of the Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRW. Trained specialists are needed for the sustainable maintenance of the forest.Before there were tree nurseries, the trees they needed were planted and cared for by the forest farmers themselves. This was done in a so-called planting camp, which is shown here at the 12th station.The forest-wildlife conflict: The 13th station illustrates how important it is to closely monitor and, if necessary, reduce the wildlife population in a forest. Only by regulating the game population in this way can the mixed forest be preserved sustainably.The importance of the soil in a forest is often underestimated. The soil is a highly sensitive system of nutrients and can be permanently damaged by acid rain, for example, but also by vehicle traffic. To avoid this, the local foresters create special "skid trails". These can be driven on with heavy machinery without damaging the soil.A forest must also be well planned in order to guarantee sufficient yields for the forestry and timber industry for as long as possible. To achieve this, high-quality trees and rare tree species are promoted, but diseased trees are also felled.Station 16 explains the different units of measurement used in the forest.Now it's back through the village of Latrop to the village hall.