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Activity 1 :
The organic tunnel
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The forest is a universe where our senses are awoken. Bark, leaves, plants and flowers – each has its very own, unique perfume. Each time you visit the forest, something new and different awaits you…
Fruit of the oak tree, the acorn is just as well known
as the tree itself.
Conifers are characterized by their unique leaves,
called needles. In evergreen woods, the ground is covered
with a carpet of these needles. They are coated in
a natural lacquer that protects them from the winter
cold and most conifers don’t shed their leaves
in winter.
Moss sometimes covers the ground, as well as tree-trunks
and rocks… It can absorb large quantities of
water and plays an important role in the forest, by
maintaining moisture balance in the air.
Hazelnuts are one of the best known wild fruits…and
the best-loved by many of the animals in our forests,
like rodents and of course, squirrels.
Coniferous forests give off a resinous odour. Resin
is a type of very sticky syrup that oozes out, for
example, of wounds in the tree-trunk. Our ancestors
used resin, namely for lighting (torches). The layer
of humus, or decomposing organic matter, can be up
to several metres thick. The humus is richer in leafy
forests than in conifer forests.
Pinecones are the fruit of the conifer. They contain
tiny seeds. When the weather is wet they close up,
and they open in dry conditions.
The linden tree flowers abundantly and its flowers
attract swarms of insects, especially bees. Linden
honey is delicious and the flowers from this tree are
still widely used for infusions and home remedies.
The deciduous trees of our forests, the leafy ones,
generally have very hard, stiff bark. Their bark acts
like a skin, keeping parasites from penetrating the
trunk.
Beechnuts, the fruit of the beech tree, are favourites
for many forest animals like the wild boar.