Luchs Filou plants oak trees: a contribution to sustainability!

Luchs Filou plants oak trees: a contribution to sustainability!

March 25, 2025 marks a significant day for the forest daycare center "Elfrippelsche" and the Pfalz district when the mascot Luchs Filou supports children in planting oak trees. This campaign took place as part of the inauguration of the renewed forest adventure path at Neumühle, which is a central element of the mediation of environmental issues. The focus of the event was to emphasize the idea of ​​sustainability and to give the children an awareness of the environment.

The forest adventure path itself was initially inaugurated in 2003, a time when pollution was the dominant topic. Now, more than two decades later, climate change is the focus of interest. The idea for the adventure path that came up 26 years ago was realized in 2007 by the inauguration. In recent years, however, it has become essential to modernize the path and adapt it to the current issues. Therefore, a comprehensive redesign was initiated.

A step into the future of forest pedagogy

The importance of such an initiative is underlined by a broader context of forest pedagogy. In Germany, the reforestation and the elucidation of the youth about the forest has a long history. After the Second World War, more massive forest destruction led to the protection community of German Forest (SDW) had to start programs to mobilize young people. In Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Hamburg, biological working groups formed young people under the guidance of forest experts and teachers.

In 1956 the youth walling was founded in Kiel, and in 1960 various national associations merged into the Federal Association of German Forest Youth. Since then, tree planting campaigns and forest experiences have been the focus of the activities of the German forest youth. The trend towards forest pedagogical education has gained importance since the 1990s and has been directly influenced by the environmental protection movement of the 1980s.

forest as a learning object

Forest education regarding the forest not only as a natural area, but as a learning object that can convey essential aspects for sustainable development. The proclamation of the UN decade "Education for Sustainable Development" in 2005 led to an increase in forestry courses and initiatives. Numerous forest pedagogical facilities have been launched in recent decades, including the "House of the Forest" in Baden-Württemberg, which acts as a forest pedagogical learning center.

By introducing certificates for forest pedagogy by the State Forest Administration of Baden-Württemberg in 2003 and the development of a uniform standard by the "Forest Environmental Education" working group of the "Federation of German Forestry" in 2007, a basis for forest education further training was laid. Seminars in the field of environmental education are now offered at many universities. In addition to Germany, pan -European networks also form that promote the exchange of specialist knowledge and practices on forest pedagogy.

The inauguration of the renovated forest adventure path is not only an important event for the region, but also a symbol of the commitment to bring younger generations closer to sustainable awareness of their environment. It is to be hoped that these measures will contribute to the anchorage of environmental awareness in society in the long term.