The natural forest in Bad Homburg is a habitat. Nature regulates itself. Many trees, shrubs and plants grow in this forest. The ecosystem is balanced. Many animals and plants live here. The natural forest is different from managed forests. People do not intervene. The natural forest is home to native flora and fauna.
The site plan shows the area in the Großer Tannenwald forest. The area is located north of the Buschwiesen. The area is very large.
The area has many old oak trees. The oaks are very old. The oaks are about 230 years old. There are also beeches, lime trees and maples. These trees are between 130 and 180 years old. There are also young maples, beeches and false cypresses. These trees grow on their own.
The area to the south is surrounded by natural forest. Conifers grow there. Mainly Douglas fir and thuja. This area remains untouched.
Many old trees were planted before 1800. Especially the oaks. That was at the time of the landgrave's garden landscape.
The old oaks will be preserved by setting the area aside. There is no timber harvesting. Instead, the trees rot slowly. This is important for insects such as hermits, rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles. Woodpeckers and bats also need this.
People used to want to get back to nature. That was one of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas. Today, nature conservation is doing the same. Forests are no longer used. Deciduous forests develop naturally. There are different age phases. From young to old. Hikers experience a lot here. They think about "back to nature". In the Middle Ages, the forest was overused.
