Münstereifel Forest (german: Münstereifeler Wald) is densely wooded region in the northern part of the

Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

mountains in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In the south it borders on the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It has an area of 237 km² and lies at a height of between 200 and .

Geography

The hills and woods of the Münstereifel Forest are situated in the county of Euskirchen around the town of Bad Münstereifel. The region is bounded in the west by the Limestone Eifel (''Kalkeifel''), in the south and east by the Ahr Hills and in the north by the Zülpich Börde, where it forms the transition between the Eifel and the Lower Rhine Bay. Among the hills of the Münstereifel Forest are the following: * Michelsberg (), * Knippberg (), * Langer Kopf (), * Fanisberg (), * Bollscheider Kopf (), * Hirnberg (), *

Stockert Stockert or von Stockert may refer to: * Ludwig von Stockert * (born 1940, Vienna), Austrian philologist * Stockert Radio Telescope, Astropeiler Stockert in the Eifel * Stockert (hill) The Stockert is a 435-metre-high hill which rises between ...

(), on which the radio-telescope, Astropeiler Stockert, stands, * Hähnchen ().

Countryside

The region of the Münstereifel Forest is characterised by extensive

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

woods, but also has stands of oak and

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...

. 7.2% of the entire area is protected as a Special Area of Conservation with near-natural

woodrush ''Luzula'' is a genus of flowering plants in the rush family Juncaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with species occurring throughout the world, especially in temperate regions, the Arctic, and higher elevation areas in the tropic ...

and woodruff-beech forest. A further 1.2% is designated as nature reserve. Numerous near-natural streams and ponds may be found in the Münstereifel Forest, including the Eschweiler Bach, which is a western tributary of the Erft. The European wildcat probably occurs in the Münstereifel Forest. Species such as Bechstein's bat and need large areas of forest. In addition, the forest offers a habitat for the

grey-headed woodpecker The grey-headed woodpecker (''Picus canus''), also known as the grey-faced woodpecker, is a Eurasian member of the woodpecker family, Picidae. Along with the more commonly found European green woodpecker and the Iberian green woodpecker, it is o ...

black woodpecker The black woodpecker (''Dryocopus martius'') is a large woodpecker that lives in mature forests across the northern Palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region. Its range is expanding. The black woodpecker is easily the ...

, red kite, kingfisher and greater mouse-eared bat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munstereifel Forest Forests and woodlands of North Rhine-Westphalia Regions of the Eifel Euskirchen (district)