Schmallenberg: Forester's and forest worker's path in Latrop

Starting at the forestry museum in the "Alte Mühle" of Latrop, which since 2003 has been displaying old tools, pictures of forest and village life, old forestry records, as well as the development of power saws, the tour continues through another 16 stations across the forests of Latrop.The second station is the charcoal kiln, where in the past charcoal was produced in an elaborate process.Then you will reach the old oak tree. This is already about 180 years old and is suffering from incipient crown thinning. However, this process of dying has a significant role for nature. It provides habitat for more than 260 species of insects.Fourth, you will arrive at 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 departments is important to guarantee the sustainable maintenance of a healthy mixed forest. This makes the forest more resistant to insect infestations, drought, storms and climate change.Then you can see the effects of the storm "Kyrill" in 2007. In the wide gaps left by this storm, a large number of young trees were planted to rejuvenate the forest.The seventh station illustrates that a tidy forest could not survive without leaves, needles, twigs or branches. Small creatures use these nutrients to produce new humus, which is vital for the trees.The following will take you to the 8th station. This shows the containment of forest development through selective grazing of appropriate breeds of cattle. This grazing ensures a higher diversity of species.The phenomenon of "scattering" is shown at the next station. If the trees grow, consequently their branches touch each other. If the branches touch each other, there is a lack of light and the trees start to lose their branches.The 10th station shows the importance of dead wood for the forest. About 80% of the endangered animal and plant species depend on this wood.At the 11th station you can see the training base of the Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRW. For a sustainable maintenance of the forest it is necessary to have trained specialists.Before there were tree nurseries, the forests themselves planted and cared for the trees they needed. This happened in a so-called Pflanzkamp, which is shown here at the 12th station.The forest-game conflict: The 13th station shows how important it is to control the game population of a forest exactly and to reduce it if necessary. Only through this regulation of the game population can the mixed forest be maintained sustainably.Often the importance of soil in a forest is underestimated. Soil is a highly sensitive system of nutrients and can be permanently damaged by, for example, acid rain, but also by vehicle traffic. To avoid this, local foresters create special "skid trails". These can be driven over 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. For this purpose, high-quality trees as well as rare tree species are promoted, but also diseased trees are felled.Station 16 explains the different units of measurement of the forest.At the last station you will return to the old forester's lodge of Latrop.