Ich bin ein alter Baumstumpf – und ich bin nicht allein!

Am I just an old tree stump? Take a closer look. I’m a real home for many animals!

What looks like just a piece of dead wood to you is a valuable habitat for many animals. Beetle larvae develop in my rotten wood, salamanders hide under my bark, and bats sleep in my hollows.

Fungi love me, too: they slowly break me down and turn me into fertile soil. That’s how I help keep the forest alive. Because something new grows from fresh soil.

Become a forest explorer: Find a tree stump near you and take a close look. Do you spot any small holes, mushrooms, or ant trails? How many species can you find that help renew the forest? But be careful! Just look with your eyes—please don’t break anything open or turn anything over, so the animals stay safe.

This route was developed as part of the LEADER-funded project “Quality Initiative for Hiking in Roetgen and Stolberg” with support from the European Union (EAFRD) and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.