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30 years of the Forest Experience Center: Celebrating and researching for the future!
The Grünwald Forest Experience Center is celebrating 30 years with interactive activities and a focus on sustainable forest education.
30 years of the Forest Experience Center: Celebrating and researching for the future!
The Forest Experience Center (WEZ) in Grünwald is celebrating a very special anniversary this year: it was founded 30 years ago and has since offered a place where young and old can experience the forest with their senses. The anniversary celebrations took place until midnight under the solemn motto “Summer Night Forest” and attracted numerous nature lovers. The focus was on interactive experiences. Visitors had the opportunity to try out leaf spotting, virtual tree felling or archery.
Reinhard Menzel, the head of the AELF Ebersberg-Erding, took over the official part. He highlighted the need to convert the forest in the face of climate change and manage it sustainably for future generations. This also corresponds to the goal of the WEZ to promote awareness of sustainable forest management. Mercury reports, that the center covers an area of 144 hectares, which is roughly equivalent to 200 football fields.
A look into the future
The importance of forest education cannot be overestimated. It not only promotes understanding and acceptance of sustainable forest management, but also plays a central role in education for sustainable development (ESD). Forest education has developed more strongly in recent years, from classic forest management to more complex and demanding offerings. Social and emotional skills are promoted and creative and self-directed learning is encouraged so that participants are motivated to actively participate and shape things. LWF Bavaria highlights that this also pursues the goal of continuously increasing the quality of forest education.
A central point here is the collaboration between various actors, both in school education and with other cooperation partners. Schools in particular are an important interface for deepening knowledge and increasing the effectiveness of educational measures. In addition, public relations work will be strengthened in order to anchor the principles of ESD in the minds of educational actors and target groups.
Experience and understand the forest
The numerous activities in the WEZ impressively show how versatile forest education is. Visitors can not only learn wonderful things about the forest and its inhabitants, but also become active themselves. Xenia Rüskamp, who runs the WEZ, proudly reports about 100,000 visitors every year. It is all the more surprising that there was a break-in at the pavilion in the past, but since then it has always been open and no money is kept - instead, donations are welcome to keep it running.
One of the special attractions at the WEZ are the wild boars, which are fed every day at 4 p.m. and are popular with young and old visitors alike. In an article from Waldwissen It becomes clear that raising awareness of nature and wood as a raw material also leads to a better understanding of the professions in forestry.
In summary, it can be said that the forest adventure center in Grünwald is not only a place for learning and experiencing, but also represents an important contribution to sustainable forestry and education for the future. Whether recognizing leaves or virtually felling trees – the combination of experiencing nature and imparting knowledge is in the best hands here.