Information boards explain the Steinhausen Wood

On eight display boards, visitors can learn about flora and fauna, and how to behave in the forest.

The lookout tower, the forest hut, the woodland pond (Waldweiher), the walking paths and the barbecue areas: the Steinhauser Wald (Steinhausen Wood) is a popular recreation area – and not only for people from Steinhausen. The Waldgenossenschaft (wood cooperative) Steinhausen, as the owner of the forest, and the municipality are very concerned that the Steinhausen Wood can perform this recreational function. For this purpose, the wood is maintained, the paths are maintained, and the barbecue areas are cleaned and supplied with wood for burning.

In 2018, according to the press release, the Wood Cooperative and the municipality have jointly developed the "Recovery Concept Steinhausen Wood". This defines how the wood should serve as a recreation area for people on the one hand, but also how the wood is managed and how its flora and fauna are protected. Various measures have been defined for this purpose. One is dedicated to public relations: using the appropriate means to inform visitors to the wood about the ownership, forest management, nature conservation and the rules of conduct. It's ultimately a question of raising awareness of the considerate use of the wood as a resource. Only if all users adhere to certain rules of conduct can the wood be preserved as a valuable recreational area.

Four involved parties, eight panels
The Waldgenossenschaft Steinhausen, the municipality and the two cantonal offices, the Office for Forest and Game, and the Ofice for Space and Transport, have therefore jointly created an information concept based on eight display boards. The first plaque welcomes visitors far away from the wood at the parking lot on the Blickensdorferstrasse. The other panels are located at the viewing platform, at the forest hut, at the wood storage area, three in the vicinity of the woodland pond (Waldweiher) and the last at the jetty near the Bann, as the municipality writes in the press release. While the five panels from the Waldgenossenschaft and the municipality provide information about forest management and the rules of conduct in the wood, the three from the canton are dedicated to biodiversity and nature conservation.

The almost two-metre-high panels were inaugurated on Saturday, 28 November in a small ceremony, with representatives of the Waldgenossenschaft, the municipality and the canton. A larger celebration had to be dispensed with because of the corona pandemic. As many members of the public visit the Steinhausen Wood, however, the panels will certainly receive a lot of attention.

The Steinhauser Wald is a popular relaxation and recreation place for walkers, sports enthusiasts, riders or cyclists. In the cantonal forest development plan, the woods in Steinhausen are mainly classified as "woods with a special recreational function".