{"id":52628,"date":"2026-07-10T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/von-der-vielfalt-des-waldes\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T20:19:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:19:34","slug":"von-der-vielfalt-des-waldes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/en\/von-der-vielfalt-des-waldes\/","title":{"rendered":"Even the same tree has different leaves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong>In the heart of Germany\u2019s largest forest, a Samenklenge in Elmstein tells the story of how tree seeds used to be harvested for reforestation. Burkhard Steckel, former head of the local forestry office, takes us on a journey into the fascinating world of trees\u2014and into that of forestry work, which was arduous and dangerous.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some are tiny and roundish, others large and jagged. Burkhard Steckel is showing us treasures on this summer morning stored at the old seed collection site in Elmstein. Such as tree seeds from larch or pine. They almost look like tiny sesame seeds. Seeds from Douglas firs are much larger and jagged. The colours range from light grey to almost black. And no sooner have you arrived in the centre of Elmstein than you realise: not all cones are the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-19.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-19.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-19.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-19-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-19-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A little guessing game: Which cones belong to which tree?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The term Samenklenge is unlikely to be familiar even to most speakers of German. \u201cIt originates from the German word Klang,\u201d explains Burkhard, who gives voluntary guided tours of the museum, referring to the crackling sound made when pine cones burst open and release their seed capsules. As a qualified forester, he knows these things, of course. He headed the Johanniskreuz and Elmstein-Nord forestry offices, has held teaching posts at the University of Freiburg for years, and continues to this day to advise on forest management in China. Some of the on display, rather adventurous-looking tools used by forest workers were actually used for many years by this tall, athletic-looking pensioner himself. \u201cMy job was a dream job for me,\u201d he recalls. \u201cAs well as timber production, it was also about nature conservation and public relations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-10.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-10.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-10-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-10-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A little guessing game: Which cones belong to which tree?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the westernmost end of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, in the heart of the UNESCO Palatinate Forest-North Vosges Biosphere Reserve, you will find the picturesque town of Elmstein, surrounded by forests and mountains. Around 2,500 people live here. On summer weekends, the <a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/en\/steam-in-the-palatine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kuckucksb\u00e4hnel train<\/a> brings tourists from all over the world from Neustadt to this small village. Opening hours of the Samenklenge are tailored to its timetable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Samenklenge is located in the centre of the town, right next to the Protestant parish church. A state-run institution, it supplied the Palatinate Forest and beyond with seeds for reforestation for some 100 years from 1913 onwards. Burkhard points out that a larch seed is only about 2 centimetres in size, whereas spruce cones can measure up to 15 centimetres. The cones of the Douglas fir, with their feather-like tips, are particularly pretty. And you learn that you would never find a real fir cone on the forest floor, as the empty cone always remains on the branch after it has scattered its seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is believed that the forest around Elmstein was already being used for forestry some 5,000 years ago.<\/p>\n<cite>Burkhard Steckel<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burkhard is from Berlin. But he has lived in Elmstein for a long time and, above all, quite happily. \u201cI\u2019ve always really enjoyed the drive to work through the Palatinate Forest.\u201d He is about to show us how the seeds were actually extracted. He demonstrates this using the original machines, which are over 100 years old and still fully functional today. \u201cIt\u2019s important that the cones are picked whilst they\u2019re still green and unripe; the seeds are then extracted and pre-dried. They then undergo a controlled ripening process in the drying oven.\u201d This takes between 18 and 36 hours at a maximum temperature of 50 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-16.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-16.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-16.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-16-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The delicate spruce seeds have a small wing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the past, the huge oven was fired using wood. Today, the temperature can be better regulated using gas. With its large drawers, labelled according to region of origin, it takes up an entire room. Seeds for forestry purposes were not only harvested and strictly separated by region of origin, but much of the process is regulated by law under the Forest Reproductive Material Act (Forstvermehrungsgutgesetz). Around 16 kilogrammes of seeds can be extracted from one tonne of pine cones, whilst one kilogramme of spruce seeds can produce up to 50,000 seedlings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-13.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-13.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-13.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-13-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Before the drying process, the cones had to be opened, the seed wings removed, and the seeds sorted and cleaned.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lucrative business, at least in terms of volume. The Museum of Forestry and Forest Work, however, also shows just how dangerous forestry work used to be. This becomes tangible when you watch adventurous contraptions such as a motorised climbing saw or various chainsaws, some of which were enormously heavy and long. A life-size mannequin wears the work clothes typical of the time, consisting of sturdy boots, coarse clothing and a leather cap. \u201cThis was almost professional,\u201d remarks Burkhard. \u201cMost people used to work in their worn-out Sunday best.\u201d Protective equipment and the ban on alcohol whilst working were only introduced much later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-40.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-40.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-40.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-40-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-40-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Museum of Forestry and Forest Work, however, also shows just how dangerous forestry work used to be.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the past, foresters often acted as police officers. \u201cTimber and forest theft were common in the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century; people lived in extreme poverty.\u201d Sometimes about 20 per cent of the population had been reported to the authorities. \u201cThese were cases of theft due to poverty. Accordingly, foresters were pretty unpopular.\u201d After all, they defended the forest while they lived under completely different conditions. The documentary explores this through the forest lodges in Elmstein and the magnificent uniform of a forester from the Nazi era. Burkhard knows much of this from his own experience. \u201cAs an intern, I had to prune trees with a climbing saw. That wasn\u2019t pleasant,\u201d he recalls. He also used to make use of the old calculating machine from the 1970s himself. Or of devices for marking timber, which were used to keep track of the quantities sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-49.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-49.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-49.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-49-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-49-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Life for forest workers\u2019 families was hard, including for the Kulturfrauen\u2014women who worked in the forest, entrusted with simpler tasks, such as planting or light tree maintenance. During and after both world wars, they were mostly left to fend for themselves. They often worked on a piecework basis and had to provide for their families at the same time. For this reason, the 50-pfennig coin was dedicated to them\u2014as this was often their average hourly wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-38.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-38.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-38.jpg 682w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-38-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a long time, the Samenklenge in Elmstein was one of eight state-run institutions of its kind throughout Germany. It was closed down in 2006, with operations relocated to Antonihof in Trippstadt. Its historic building was renovated and fitted out according to a concept devised by the museum\u2019s director, Lina Turner, who has since passed away. Today, the sun-drenched forecourt invites visitors to linger on wooden benches beneath a large tree and offers a direct view of the former Triftamt, the timber rafting authority; a well-maintained half-timbered house that is privately owned. You can still explore the old timber-rafting routes. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zentrum-pfaelzerwald.de\/wandern\/halbtagestouren-6-9km\/trifterlebnispfad-legelbachtal.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">footpath <\/a>runs alongside them. But what exactly did Trift mean? On the upper floor of the museum, you can learn more about transporting timber by water. All the streams in and around Elmstein were used on the route towards the Rhine. A large sledge loaded with vast quantities of short timber demonstrates just how dangerous sledge transporting was. \u201cMany serious accidents happened during this process, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-22.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-22.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-22.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-22-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-22-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lina Turner helped set up the museum in Elmstein. Her presence can still be felt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The top floor opens up secondary uses of the forest. Among other things, it displays the forbidden blueberry combs or tinder fungi, which were set alight and used to smoke out insects. The exhibition also explains how resin was extracted and potash boiled down to produce glass, soap or fertiliser. But it also explores how the forest is changing. An educational film on forestry covering a period from 1950 to the present day features many eyewitness accounts and touches on new techniques and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-57.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-57.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-57.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-57-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-57-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visually, too, the museum is well worth a visit, with its many bright windows and wooden floors. The exhibits are displayed on attractive, bright-red exhibition areas and explained with panels utilising clear visual aids and informational text. There are many original photographs on display, along with old textbooks, standard works on forestry and a reprint of a classic piece dating from 1713: <em>Sylvicultura Oeconomica <\/em>by Hann\u00df Carl von Carlovitz. \u201cWith this, he established the concept of sustainability\u2014something we foresters are very proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-45.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-45.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-45.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-45-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-45-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Old textbooks and standard works show forestry through the ages.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upon entering the museum building, your gaze is drawn to a replica of a flint axe discovered in 1969. \u201cIt is believed that the forest around Elmstein was already being used for forestry some 5,000 years ago,\u201d says Burkhard, who takes turns leading the guided tours with his colleague Kirstin Graichen. Both work for the museum on a voluntary basis and with great dedication. The furniture in the entrance area, painted a striking bright-red, is particularly eye-catching: next to the ticket office is a small shop for handicrafts as well as books about Elmstein or the history of forestry. Of course, decorative items made from dried pine cones are a must. Wreaths adorn the museum\u2019s beautiful wooden doors with their sandstone door frames.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-52.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-52.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52414\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-52.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-52-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wosonst.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/WEB_Samenklenge_Elmstein_17_06_2026_Foto_Torsten_Redler-52-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A tree to swing from\u2014climbing is welcome in the children\u2019s museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The children\u2019s museum on the mezzanine level is a large, elongated, bright room with wooden floors and wood-panelled walls. Here you\u2019ll find a replica charcoal burner\u2019s hut, a large wooden sledge and a sensory box. The stuffed forest animals are particularly interesting: cute raccoons, badgers, tawny owls, impressive birds of prey, a small wild boar and a tiny weasel are depicted in their natural poses and can be viewed in detail. The aim is to engage all the senses. Anyone who fancies it can swing across a horizontal climbing tree, do crafts and paint at old school desks, or simply retreat to the book corner with its beanbags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.samenklenge.de\/\">www.samenklenge.de<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more facts on Elmstein visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elmstein.de\/\">www.elmstein.de<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wappenschmiede-elmstein.de\/\">www.wappenschmiede-elmstein.de<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Kuckucksb\u00e4hnel train and its timetable: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eisenbahnmuseum-neustadt.de\/das-kuckucksbaehnel\/\">www.eisenbahnmuseum-neustadt.de\/das-kuckucksbaehnel\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the heart of Germany\u2019s largest forest, a Samenklenge in Elmstein tells the story of how tree seeds used to be harvested for reforestation. Burkhard Steckel, former head of the local forestry office, takes us on a journey into the fascinating world of trees\u2014and into that of forestry work, which was arduous and dangerous. Some &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,1490],"tags":[215,347,897,921,1848,2351],"class_list":["post-52628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature","category-history","tag-pfalz-en","tag-elmstein-en","tag-pfaelzerwald-en","tag-wald-en","tag-torsten-redler-en","tag-heike-duerr-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Even the same tree has different leaves - wo sonst<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the Palatinate Forest, a Samenklenge in Elmstein tells the story of how tree seeds used to be harvested for reforestation. 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