Hohes Wäldchen

The Hohe Wäldchen is the highest elevation of the Nutscheid at about 378 m above sea level. It is located in the north of the municipality of Windeck, directly on the southwestern border of the town of Waldbröl.

The nature reserves "Hohes Wäldchen" are five hectares in size and were formerly used for military purposes. Therefore, the small area on the forest ridge was kept open, allowing dwarf shrub heath and lean grassland to develop. Dwarf shrub heaths are the first form of vegetation to spread on nutrient-poor sandy soils, but are often displaced by intensive cultivation, just like lean grassland. These areas are particularly threatened by bush encroachment with gorse and must therefore be kept open at all times. In 1999, the area became a nature reserve and since then has been regularly grazed by sheep, whose browsing ensures an expansion of the now rare landscape.

Wikipedia