The Lenneberg Forest is very different from most other german forests. It is situated
in a dunelike area composed of sanddunes of pleistocene origin. Directly adjacent
to the forest is the Nature Reserve "Mainz Sanddunes", which is considered
to be one of the most valuable Nature Reserves in Europe. The soil, consisting
mainly of pure sand, can only retain very little amounts of water and nutrients.
Because of this and the mild and dry climate of the Upper - Rhine - Valley it
shows a remarkable and widley know steppe vegetation characterized by a great
number of continental and submeditteraen plants and animals. Because of the high
temperatures and the dryness of the area the most common natural forest type in
Germany, the mixed - stand - beech forest, cannot grow here. The Lenneberg Forest
is dominated by common Pine (Scots Pine) and Oak. Historically human influence
has fostered the pine by such means as the grazing of sheep and goats, who favoured
deciduous trees over the pine. Pine trees wew also planted being some of the few
trees capable of growing in the sandy soil. Also the remaining broad - leaved
trees were preferred as fire - wood over the fast burning pine, further increasing
the dominion of the pine. The historic influences were fundamental in creating
the special conditions that this forest presents to us today. The light crown
- cover allows a great variety of dry turf plants to grow beneath the trees. Many
of these plants can be found in the "Red List of Endangered Species",
because the specific conditions that they require are increasingly hard to find
in Germany But not only the members of the plant kingdom show this exceptional
quality, many of the animals that have made these woods to their home are also
threatened by extinction. Because of 1st role as a refuge for endangered species,
the Lenneberg Forest is in the process of being declared a natural reserve by
the state of Rhineland - Palatine. RECREATION
in the Lenneberg Forest The Lenneberg Forest with only 700 hectare is the largest forest in the intensively agricultural Rheinhessen. It is the preferred recreational area and is visited by nearly a million people annually, accompanied by close to 90000 dogs. This makes it one of the , if not the most frequented forest (per ha) in all of Germany. Consequently this fragile enviroment is heavily burdened. Parts of the forest are crisscrossed by a network of small paths, making an unhindered development of plants and animals impossible. Litter, rubbish, air pollution (The forest is located next to the highway !) and dog excrements change the makeup of the plant communities. Research into the damaging effects of and financed by the various public forest-land owners (City, Rural District, Community and State). On the basis of the interdisciplinary research conducted by the University of Mainz, the Lenneberg Forest will soon be declared a nature reserve. A care.- and development plan regulates the care , tree species selection, development of the pine health and directing the flow of the forest visitors. For the protection of the sandflora and fauna in the east and the west of the area, the pine - cathedral forest with shrubs and few light - transmissible broadleaved trees such as oak and cherry are to be preserved or developed. In the central part of the forest, traditionally the focal point of the recreational activity, is going to be further developed with the goal of channeling the flow of visitors away from the more fragile biotops. Varied mixed deciduous forest types with such trees as beech, maple, linden, cherry and wild service tree (Elsbeere) amongst others are favored.
FORESTRY
in the Lenneberg Forest The primary goal of forestry in the Lenneberg Forest
is the safekeeping and stabilizing of vulnerable pine stands. Like few other
trees, the pine is threatened by a host of external dangers such as wind and
snow breakage, forest fires and often as a direct result of all this , is set
upon by a massing of harmful insects. Various bark beetles and needle eating
caterpillars of different moths are worth mentioning. Despite of the low water
requirements - compared to other trees- the pine also suffers 
greatly
in dry years for insects. If the pines are weakend by several years of extreme
dryness, young trees become susceptible to infestation with a lethal fungus,
older trees vulnerable to misteltoe infestation, often leading to the death
of the affected trees. In order to stabilize the young forest stands, it is
necessary to thin them out periodically. The resulting timber is hauled out
of the forest with forestry tractors or with the help of horses and sold to
the wood processing industry. Nonetheless timber production is not the goal
in the Lenneberg Forest, but rather a side effect which can help cover some
of the costs of managing the forest. These costs include the building and maintenance
of installationsfor recreation such as huts , a grill hut, benches fitness trail
etc.and the removal of refuse. Information about the forest is made available
trough the forest ranger, information boards, nature trail, numerous guided
tours and the annual forest youth games.