Actually SHOCKED by this in GERMANY - not clickbait

[@kayneahnung3661]

The reason for the many chopped down trees most likely really is the "Borkenkäfer" - the insect you are talking about. That happens all over Germany. From the late 19th century up to the year 2000 the forests were mostly planted with Spruce (and sometimes fir) trees. Mostly because it grows fast and wood was always a very important raw material. (Most well known example for that is the blackwood forest, which was completely chopped down in the 17th century and replanted with fir and spruce to look like it does today). There are multiple issues with a forest mostly consisting of one or two types of trees. First of all it really makes it terribly easy for the insects to spread, and if you look at the Harz Forest you see that there are big parts of the forest that are dead due to that - but the harz is a national park so the wood is not cut down and used as raw material but left to rot there in place (at least mostly) to be the base for a more natural forest - they did the same thing with the "Bayrischer Wald" national park - it took quite some time but it is really lovely now. The second issue - apart from the insects is that the needles change the soil to contain more acid which is bad for many native types of trees and bushes. So what they usually do is to cut down the infected fir and spruce trees and replant with a variety of typical trees for the area to get a healthier forest in the long run.

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you so much for all this information, Bernd. Yes, they call leaves in Autumn „gardener’s gold“, so that makes perfect sense that the pine needles are such a problem. I’m just so shocked at how quickly the beautiful forests here have suddenly become what they are at the moment.

[@yippie6862]

Thanks Bernd for the detailed explanation.

[@ernestmccutcheon9576]

Hey Lauren, in addition to the Borkenkäfer, there has also been an ongoing drought in Germany that has severely affected the forests and also made them more susceptible to the insects. I've put Meppen on my "to visit" list. Thanks!

[@LaureninGermany]

Yes, we think there is no drought because of the floods, but it doesn’t absorb, does it? Yes, Meppen is small but sweet! And there are more sights that I didn’t get to visit.

[@Miriam.M]

Hello Lauren, thank you again for another stunning video. My mother was born in Meppen and her uncle (one of my favourite great-uncles) served as a priest there, first in St. Vitus and after WW2 he founded the parish of St. Maria zum Frieden in Meppen-Esterfeld. He died in 2001 and was buried next to the church. His name was Rev. Josef Orgaß. Happy mother's day ! Miriam

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you, Miriam! Then I´m sure you understand my delight at the lovely St. Vitus and Meppen in general!

[@Miriam.M]

@@LaureninGermany I can well understand your delight. I always enjoyed my visits to Meppen when I was a child although it was seldom, because we lived in southern Bavaria. But northern Germany is also beautiful!

[@tasminoben686]

Moin Lauren, und vielen Dank dafür, dass du uns immer die kleinen Schönheiten unseres unseres Landes zeigst! Liebste Grüße, Ben❤

[@LaureninGermany]

Sehr gerne, danke, lieber Ben!

[@sisuguillam5109]

Guten Abend, lieber Ben!

[@tasminoben686]

@@sisuguillam5109 🤗

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@tasminoben686 Hoffe Dein Sonntag war entspannt und sonnig!

[@tasminoben686]

@@sisuguillam5109 sehr entspannt. War fast den ganzen Tag allein. Nur um die Mittagszeit herum waren wir mit Hund kurz draußen, weil wir hier Kommunalwahl hatten. Unser Wahllokal Licht genial! 3 Minuten zu Fuß von hier, ist die örtliche DRK Zentrale. Wünsch dir eine schöne Woche, ohne Pollen und Migräne! Liebe Grüße, Ben

[@juliambada]

I’ve traveled many times through Meppen but never stopped. Thanks for showing me! Re the trees: It is really really upsetting to walk into a large area of forest of completely dead trees. If you keep visiting Forests, you may come across this at some point and it may deeply affect you - be prepared. To me it feels slightly better to see them chopped down and new - hopefully more resilient - species replanted, as it feels more hopeful. Eco-grief is a thing and that may explain what you feel at seeing those chopped down trees.

[@LaureninGermany]

I really felt so hit by this that I had to include it in my video, even though I actually just want to cheer everyone up. But this...ah... But thank goodness Meppen gave us all something lovely to think about! Yes, it´s well worth a little wander and a coffee stop next time you´re passing through!

[@shahlabadel8628]

how do you say Eco- grief in German? is it a new word in german vocabulary?

[@taxiuniversum]

Hi. A few possible insights about the massive clearcuts: Indeed, it may well be due to an infestation with the Borkenkäfer (bark beetle / pine beetle). Once trees show infestation, they need to get removed from the forest very quickly. Otherwise, it will spread, destroying everything. It may be that they had neglected the forest, came too late and now have to remove a massive amount of trees, because they are all infested by now. Secondly, ever since approximately WWII, our German forests have sadly often been planted in what is called „Monokultur“, meaning they had planted the forests using only one type of tree - which is typically the Fichte (spruce). They did this because spruce grows rapidly, thus maximizing profits when it comes to selling the lumber. Today however, we know that Monokultur brings with it many problems: 1.) Spruce is a „Flachwurzler“ (shallow root tree). So since it’s roots don‘t run deep, this tree is particularly vulnerable to storm damage. When we had major hurricanes in past decades (a phenomenon occurring more and more often due to climate change), often giant spaces of forests got wiped out within a matter if hours. It then is an almost impossible challenge to remove the thousands of trees quickly enough. The result: Bark beetles are infesting the dead and damaged trees, are spreading like wildfire and are then spilling into even the remaining population of healthy trees. 2.) Biodiversity: Monoculture forests can in extreme cases be almost entirely „dead“: Very little light passes through the densely planted spruce trees - plus, the floor is packed with a thick layer of pines. Meaning little to no underbrush, few places for the many critters usually to be found in a healthy forest to hide. And every species that is missing leads to many others, who depend on it to also go missing. So what has been a trend in German forestry in past decades is to gradually transform former monoculture forests into the much more healthy and resilient „Mischwald“ (mixed forest). If you return to the clearcut areas in a few months, you will likely see that they will have planted thousands of new trees. 🙂

[@LaureninGermany]

Ah, yes! I have noticed they have been planting a lot of new trees where I live. Thank you for this explanation, it’s very helpful!

[@taxiuniversum]

@@LaureninGermany You are welcome. Thank you for your wonderful videos! I think it’s courageous of you to highlight positive things. Many people here in Germany kind of lack this courage, I find. When stating something positive, one makes himself vulnerable, in a sense. Many people just keep making negative statements, as this is a safe bet they won’t get hurt. As for myself, I am going through a re-education process of acknowledging to the good in this world, as I had gone to an increasingly dark place earlier in my life.

[@LaureninGermany]

I really understand that, about the dark place. Putting out these videos helps m, too, through the making of them, but from all the wonderful people in the comments. It´s just fantastic to share the good stuff, and think of the similarly minded when I see something. I hope you´re doing well, keep fighting.

[@taxiuniversum]

@@LaureninGermany Thank you! ♥️

[@JakobFischer60]

The first logs you showed were beeches and those were harvested regularly by taking out only the best of the trees. The second pictures show spruces and they suffer tremendously from the droughts and most of them are killed by the bark beetles. Those forests have to be restored completely with mixed tree species which do better in a dry and warm environment. So coming to the battle against the romans, it is not so easy, and as far as I know, the Teutoburger forest was thought to be the place and was named after the battle in the 19th century. Only recently they found the true place which is in Kalkriese and where they have restored some of the fortifications which the germans build to attack the romans.

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you so much, Jakob! I shall rewatch my own video, now to see the different trees. And i did not know that about the Kalkriese. When did they find this out? I must look into it all…thank you!

[@Llyd_ApDicta]

As far as I know the location of the battle is still hotly debated and that includes the findings at Kalkriese. There have not been enough findings yet to support the theory. The battle saw three Roman legions, 15.000 men completely wiped out and that leaves a lot of traces even after over 2000 years.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@Llyd_ApDicta thank you. I know it’s so long ago, but I still find those numbers so saddening.

[@taxiuniversum]

@@LaureninGermany Yes. It saddens me, too when I learn about the downfall of the Roman Empire. This had such drastic consequences, and led to such a loss of knowledge and culture. An example: In what is Köln today, there had been a massive Roman settlement (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium). It had a far-reaching system of getting large amounts of clean water to the city - and an equally elaborate sewage system. When the Roman Empire collapsed, the invading tribes had no idea to keep for example the sewage system intact and well-maintained. Terrible mass-diseases were the result - and one can only fathom how much other personal tragedies took place. That being said, the same is surely true about what the Roman invasion had done to local cultures before. Only that in these cases, we hardly know anything about what went missing, because most of what we know today about these times is coming from former Roman archives.

[@LaureninGermany]

For me it´s about the loss of lives due to battle - something we seem unable to leave in the past. But also I am regularly astonished at how much knowledge about how to live in civilised conditions from the Romans was lost or disregarded - some things we are only now using, like floor heating! How interested Köln - Colonia! I have so much to learn about Germany/Rome/European history...!

[@klaushohmann1101]

Leider sieht es zur Zeit in sehr vielen deutschen Wäldern so aus. Unter anderem eine Folge der Monokultur Bepflanzung mit Nadelhölzer. Gut das man dies erkannt hat und man wieder dazu übergeht auf Mischwälder zu setzen. In Meppen war ich bis her nur einmal als unser Verein dort Fußball gespielt hatte. Es hat mir aber ganz gut gefallen dort. Ich wünsch euch einen schönen Sonntag und dir alles Gute zum Muttertag.

[@LaureninGermany]

Ja, ich bin auch so dankbar zu sehen, wie sie bei uns gerade neu pflanzen. Und- habt Ihr damals gewonnen? ⚽️ Dir auch einen schönen Sonntag, danke Klaus!

[@klaushohmann1101]

@@LaureninGermany Wir hatten zwar verloren,aber trotzdem hatten wir mit den Meppener Fans gemeinsam gefeiert und viel Spaß gehabt.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@klaushohmann1101 das ist wirklich wunderbar!

[@susannabonke8552]

Hier im Berliner Umland mag ich gar nicht darüber nachdenken, wie es dem Wald geht😢.

[@pgoessnitzer]

Hi Lauren, this is a nice video of yet another interesting town. Regarding the Teutoburg Forest there is quite a lot of history going on. Over the years there have been several archeological digs along the route were the ambush-battles happened. A few years ago, a friend had the pleasure of working at one of the dig sites. Newer sites prove to be more productive and getting better at zeroing in on the actual battle sites. I sure hope you get to go there again.

[@LaureninGermany]

I have the feeling I didn´t make it to the right part, Peter, so I´ll definitely try to go back soon. How exciting, that your friend worked at a dig site!!

[@Opa_Andre]

This time I especially liked the scene starting at 2:08 with the sunrays building up a halo. Your holiness St. Lauren in Germany 😉

[@LaureninGermany]

😂 I shall insist on being called this from now on. I always thought the sun shines out of my… I mean around my head 🤣

[@arnodobler1096]

Wieder was gelernt, danke Lauren! Schönen Sonntag allen!

[@LaureninGermany]

Hi Arno! Dir auch einen schönen Sonntag. Ja, ich habe auch was gelernt!

[@tasminoben686]

Moin, ihr zwei beiden! Einen schönen Sonntag mit richtig schönem Wetter! Liebe Grüße Ben🤗

[@LaureninGermany]

@@tasminoben686 einen schönen Sonntag Dir!

[@arnodobler1096]

@@tasminoben686 Dir auch Ben 🙋‍♂️

[@sisuguillam5109]

Aaaaaaarno! Guten Abend!

[@connycatlady7429]

Another lovely video. Thank you. The trees. Yes, unfortunatly those little beasts love our trees. But they are not grateful. There`s never a sign which says thank you for meal 🙃. Have a nice sunday

[@LaureninGermany]

lol you actually made me laugh about it, thank you! Have a lovely Sunday, conny xx

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

6:10 Actually the battle of the Teutoburg Forest did not take place in the Teutoburg Forest. Most archaeologists agree now that the battle took place near Kalkriese (where they actually found the relics of defeated Roman legions) a bit north of Osnabrück, about 90 km northwest of the Hermann monument. The hills nowadays known as the Teutoburg Forest where formerly known as "Osning", and Reformer Philipp Melanchthon was the first to assume it (or Kassel) as the place of the battle, based mainly on the localization by Tacitus around rivers Lippe (north of the Ruhr region) and Ems (which runs through Meppen). In 1616 geographer and historian Philipp Clüver was the first to call the "Osning" the "Teutoburg Forest", which was then propagated by Ferdinandus liber baro de Furstenberg, Prince-Bishop of Paderborn and Münster.

[@LaureninGermany]

I will head up there, I expect they have a museum? Thank you, I realise we always find new evidence that changes what we thought we knew, so I am glad to find out more.

[@ramoneortiz]

I just realized that you remind me of my niece and goddaughter. She is also a performer. She sings opera and lives in New York City (USA). You both share a positivity that is rare nowadays. Keep the videos coming.

[@LaureninGermany]

Oh wow! How lovely! Isn´t that a coincidence, an opera singer in the family? Is she a soprano, too?

[@ramoneortiz]

Actually, she is! Her name is Cristina Maria Castro. She is my sister’s daughter.

[@wolfgangvogel3514]

Hello, I like your channel. Your view on Germany and the people is refreshing. As a German sometimes I lose the positive view on the country and people - especially because I live in Saxony... It's a bit healing to watch your videos and the positivity. Thank you!

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you so much, Wolfgang. I really understand this and that´s why I am so happy to focus on the good stuff. The negatives will find us all anyway! It does me as much good as the people who watch!

[@michaelburggraf2822]

Thanks for this video! A friend went to Meppen once to meet a potential employer. It wasn't as promising as it was advertised and he returned quite disillusioned. Travelling there wasn't a good experience for him too. Hence his account wasn't exactly a recommendation to go there. You've corrected that significantly.

[@LaureninGermany]

That´s so nice to read! I had a really lively experience in Meppen, but I completely understand that your friend doesn´t like it. That can really put you off a place, even though it was just one person.

[@stevechandler1499]

Hi Lauren I enjoy your videos as it reminds me of my time living in Germany, in the beautiful town of Lemgo, which is very near to Herman’s Denkmal. I really recommend this place. I hope you manage to visit this place as it is full of medieval buildings and interesting history. I too am Welsh and adore old buildings. Thanks again for your lovely videos. ❤️

[@LaureninGermany]

Hiya, Steve! I´ll try to visit Lemgo, thanks. It sounds lovely. I´m hoping to get to Wales again soon, I haven´t been for ages. I had a listen and I really like your music, you´re really good!

[@stevechandler1499]

@@LaureninGermany Aw thanks Lauren! I’m just an old fool who loves music. Keep the videos coming they are lovely! 😁

[@LaureninGermany]

Old fool -loves music - that doesn´t go in the same sentence lol! Thanks, Steve x

[@heinzbrommer251]

Hallo Lauren, wieder ein sehr schönes Video, das mir zeigt wie schön gerade die Kleinstädte in Deutschland sind. Vielen Dank, dass du gerade diese schönen Kleinode zeigst. Der Borkenkäferbefall in unseren Wäldern ist schon sehr traurig, auch hier in bei uns in BW ist auch teilweise arg. Ich bin besonders traurig, weil ich den Wald so sehr liebe. Wünsche noch einen schönen Sonntag.

[@LaureninGermany]

Ja, es ist echt der Wahnsinn, Heint. Danke Dir und schönen Sonntag auch!

[@blondkatze3547]

How nice of you dear Lauren , that you always let us participate with new videos of German history. Our final class trip in the 4 th class of the elementary school also went to the Teutoburg Forest to the youth hostel in Bad Iburg. We took the bus there and also visited the Hermanns memorial.There are fond memories of my childhood. I wish all mothers a happy mother`s day.🙂💞🌷

[@LaureninGermany]

I love to share these travels and hear about things like your lovely school trip, Blond Katze! It makes it all much more interesting! Have a wonderful day!

[@blondkatze3547]

Thanks you too.🌺@@LaureninGermany

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

4:30 The banner was the Misereor "Hungertuch" (lit. famine cloth) 2023. Misereor is the development aid and relief organization of the Catholic church in Germany (like "Brot für die Welt", "bread for the world" by the Protestant churches), and their main fundraising time is during lent, the 40 days before Easter, which is signalized by such a cloth at or above the altar, designed by an artist from one of the countries highlighted in the year's campaign. Therefore I presume you visited Meppen in the days before or around Easter. Right?

[@LaureninGermany]

I was there in February, yes- thank you!

[@shahlabadel8628]

thanks for this very informative one. love your videos so much. happy Sunday!

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you so much! Have a great Sunday, too!

[@StarshipTr00per]

Lovely town. I always go into the churches every town I visit. For the architecture and history. The cutting of trees is sadly everywhere. These insects have ravaged the whole continent. At least they don't let them rot and fall. They can replant and use the wood before its good for nothing. I want to visit that historic site also. Thank you for your lovely videos.

[@LaureninGermany]

I‘m glad you like them, thank you! P.s. I fell in love with a Starship Trooper… 🎶

[@StarshipTr00per]

@@LaureninGermany hahaha. I never thought of this one. Usually people think I picked that from the movie. Actually I chose this name from a Yes Song of the 70s.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@StarshipTr00per I know the Sarah Brightman song. It’s been going around in my head all day lol! It’s an oldie, she was really young in the video I saw. I actually really like Yes.

[@dearseall]

Another reason for chopping down whole areas of "forrest" could be, that it is not a actual forrest but an agricultural area growing trees instead of corns or vegetables.

[@LaureninGermany]

Yes, I didn’t think of that.

[@sisuguillam5109]

Meppen looks really lovely indeed. And I am so sorry the forrest came as such a shock. My dad was a Gartenbaumeister who had worked in a Baumschule so I grew up with him explaining the consequences of pushing for Monokulturen and ignoring global warming.

[@LaureninGermany]

I really only want to be positive on YT, but, oh my, Sisu... and your poor dad, seeing it all unfolding and people just not listening to the experts.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@LaureninGermany he would be devastated to see how right he was. Both my partens advocated strongly for all matters Umweltschutz and trialed gardening methods that were non-invasive.

[@LaureninGermany]

I´m sorry he´s no longer here, Sisu. I remember seeing that they had started planting conifer trees in the nature in Wales, a non-native tree that looked so wrong there. Today, since uploading this video, I understand why. Profit. I can imagine the effects are not yet so pronounced, as it´s colder and wetter there than here.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@LaureninGermany Thank you. They do come up qith new ways to exploit Wales instead of supporting it every day, it seems. Damn shame.

[@chkoha6462]

The destruction you have seen is a combination of the works of the bark beetle,draught & high temperatures in the last summer months. Here in Hessen the Taunus looks just like that. The former Green hills are brown and barren now I do not have any high hopes for the future

[@LaureninGermany]

It’s so very saddening, isn’t it? It seemed to happen so suddenly- the beautiful forests suddenly looked so different. I do have hope though, knowing the Germans. They will restore it all, I truly believe that.

[@chkoha6462]

@@LaureninGermany it will be restored and new tree will be planted...but it will take years to be a full fledge forest once again

[@LaureninGermany]

@@chkoha6462 yes. That’s the part that makes me very sad. As well as seeing it all now. I miss our beautiful lush dense forests.

[@susannabonke8552]

My mother-in-law lived near Meppen, but I didn't see the beauty that clearly.

[@LaureninGermany]

Often it’s a question of taking a moment to see it, not always possible when we’re so busy!

[@jamesvandemark2086]

There is a duplicate of Hermann the German's statue near me, in the city of New Ulm, Minnesota. I',ve visited both- could not resist!

[@LaureninGermany]

How cool! I‘ve worked in Neu-Ulm Germany, btw.

[@jamesvandemark2086]

@@LaureninGermany Long ago in school, I learned that ULM is a Roman acronym for Ultra Limites Militarium. (outside the Army base) Latin can be handy.😎

[@LaureninGermany]

@@jamesvandemark2086 woah! I did not know that! Thank you! I’m a big Latin fan, so I shall call it that from now on!

[@jamesvandemark2086]

@@LaureninGermany Well, even the Romans shortened it!

[@christinamotzer174]

Danke, dass Sie Ihren Blick auf Deutschland mit uns teilen

[@LaureninGermany]

Ich danke, dass man das alles mit mir mitteilt!

[@krakentoast]

It must be like a fairytale for americans to go to those old towns. For many germans it's just everyday life but there are people that have only seen such things in movies.

[@LaureninGermany]

Exactly, Krakentoast. That’s why I love to share them. There are so many people who have never seen such magical towns and may never manage to come here. And these buildings are really incredible.

[@DerJarl1024]

The last few years have been very dry and this has severely attacked many of the conifers - especially pines - so that they could no longer defend themselves against the bark beetle. They had too little water to form against this resin. As a result, many trees died and were felled afterwards to slow down the spread of the bark beetle. Reforestation is now beginning with species that are better able to cope with the expected drought due to climate change. Among them are mostly deep-rooted deciduous trees. However, pine trees will disappear from German forests in the future. These are actually located in humid, mountainous regions and were only planted in the German low mountain range because they grew quickly and could be used quickly for the timber industry. As shallow roots, they are not suitable for the coming drought. The previous German commercial forest will therefore disappear in the long term.

[@LaureninGermany]

Oh, wow- I hope they will replace the commercial forests with more water holding trees? Thank you for the information, Carsten.

[@DerJarl1024]

@@LaureninGermany The past three hot, dry summers have shown once again that our native tree species still cope best with these extreme conditions, provided their natural habitat is not disturbed too much by human intervention. However, this forest will take decades to grow. Since no one can estimate how our climate will actually develop in the future, clairvoyant abilities are required to search for tree species of the future. In addition, this search for "super tree species" is often primarily based on economic interests. If we really want to promote intact ecosystems, we should let nature decide which tree species feel comfortable in our forests. This happens mainly in the nature parks. In the Eifel Nature Park we currently have open spaces which are first being recaptured by low-growth trees, including broom, the "Eifelgold", here named after its golden-yellow flowers. Native tree species are: European beech, hornbeam, oak, sycamore maple, field maple, ash, silver birch/European white birch, aspens, willow and others.

[@LaureninGermany]

Ah, Carsten, you are so right. I wish we would appreciate the glory of our planet and not interfere with those ecosystems just for fleeting profit. I´ve just made a note of those trees and will plant some in my garden.

[@winterlinde5395]

In eastern Lower Saxony Meppen is used to emphasize how far away something is or huge dimensions of anything. Too loud- das hört man ja bis Meppen! Too far away- ich renn doch dafür nicht bis nach Meppen! Thanks for reminding me that Meppen is a real town, too ☺️

[@LaureninGermany]

🤣 how funny! Thank you, that’s made me laugh!

[@winterlinde5395]

@@LaureninGermany 🤗

[@sisuguillam5109]

My evening treat! 🥰

[@LaureninGermany]

Sisuuuuu!!!!

[@sisuguillam5109]

​@@LaureninGermany Laaaaaaauuuuuuuuren! 🎉🥰

[@Kristina_S-O]

Thank you for those beautiful pictures of Meppen! I would never have even thought of visiting that town, but now it's on my bucket list. Greetings from the middle east 😂 of Niedersachsen.

[@LaureninGermany]

How lovely! If you look at the town homepage, there are also lots more pretty things to see in Meppen - a watermill, for example. Greetings back to Niedersachsen from Deepest Bavaria lol!

[@Tobbii29]

haha nice komme aus Meppen vielen dank für das tolle video

[@LaureninGermany]

Lol Ich wette, das war jetzt eine Überraschung! Grüße nach schönen Meppen!

[@Tobbii29]

@@LaureninGermany ja wahr es :) vielen dank :)

[@petebeatminister]

Well, I guess it is indeed because of the beetle infestation. If you look around, the trees still standing dont look so well either. To the Varus battle: as far as we know today, it did not happen in the Teutoburger Wald where the monument is, near Bielefeld. Instead, archeologists have found evidence that it happened west of Melle, which is closer to the Wiehengebirge. Which is also very nice btw., for example the Weser valley in the region of Porta Westfalica. I live not too far away from there.

[@LaureninGermany]

It seems I still have plenty of exploring to do, Pete! I haven’t been to your region- thank you. I‘ll look into it!

[@PeterBuwen]

Beautiful. Thank you again.

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you so much, Peter!

[@taxiuniversum]

P.S.: When you let your dogs run free in the forest, make sure they are always in your close vicinity. I am saying this because hunters are allowed to shoot dogs, who are running free in the forest. The reason for this being that some dogs will go after deer, badly injure them and then leading to the deer suffering in agony until they either succumb to their wounds, or get finished off by a hunter. Usually, hunters are not going to shoot a dog when a person is nearby. It has, shockingly happened on rare occasions, though. Bottom line, however: You must not panic, and you can still let your dogs off the leash in forests. Just keep in mind to ALWAYS have them in your sight.

[@LaureninGermany]

I really do, thank you. It’s the same in Britain. I’m always worried about hunters and I know they were running to me in the video, but they were running from Franz straight to me, not far away. ❤

[@W220-v7u]

Danke Lauren für das schöne Video

[@LaureninGermany]

Danke sehr, lieber Peter!

[@Dahrenhorst]

It's Murphy's Law: many detrimental things came together at the same time. First - vast areas of mono culture, mainly spruce, which have been planted everywhere and densely for economical reasons. Secondly, droughts as an effect of the climate change. Lastly the bark beetle, which now found an ideal environment to propagate - their most favorite food (spruce) weakened by drought and standing close together. The lesson was learned, though, and the reforestation efforts are now mostly avoiding mono culture, plus focusing on drought resistant and diverse new trees. I know, that you've been to the Harz region several times, but what you've seen in the Teutoburger Wald is happening there magnitudes worse. now You won't recognize that region anymore.

[@LaureninGermany]

Oh, it´s so sad. Thank goodness the lesson has been learned.

[@HenryAusLuebeck]

Wenn ich das richtig gesehen habe waren das hauptsächlich Nadelbäume, welche relativ schnell nachwachsen. Zumindest schneller als Buche, Eiche, etc. Holz ist im Moment aber auch sehr teuer in Deutschland, weshalb viele damit jetzt ein gutes Geschäft machen.💓

[@LaureninGermany]

Stimmt, und sie bauen auch riesige Kisten überall, wie verrückt. Happy Sunday, dear Carlos !

[@HenryAusLuebeck]

@@LaureninGermany Dankeschön, dir auch einen schönen Sonntag. In Lübeck ist schönes Wetter 😊

[@LaureninGermany]

Hier auch schönbes Wetter! Ich mache weiter am Van, damit ich bald wieder nach Lübeck kann!

[@HenryAusLuebeck]

@@LaureninGermany ♥️👍

[@tasminoben686]

Nicht nur Holz. Habe gestern gerade gehört, dass die neue U-Bahn-Linie in Hamburg 1,5 Milliarden. Teurer wird als geplant! Weil Baustahl zur Zeit 1900 € die Tonne kostet. Statt 1000 wie bisher. Das gleiche gilt für Beton. Ich bin sehr froh, dass wir jetzt eine Mietwohnung haben und nicht mehr bauen müssen! Grüße nach Lübeck

[@Thorandor44]

The live in a forest needs to fall sometimes to rebuild...

[@LaureninGermany]

I´m not so sure that would be the case if humans hadn´t interfered - but I really don´t know....

[@lynetteheath-brown7350]

Thank you Lauren for your interesting video! I don't know that part of the country. Big hug. Lynettex

[@LaureninGermany]

Thanks, Lynette- it was new for me, too. A lovely surprise!

[@leighevans1489]

A stunning town. What a shame about this blasted beetle but I love the forest

[@LaureninGermany]

I agree, Leigh!

[@Webcam1971]

The Romans wouldn't have got lost in these chopped down forests and thus Arminius never would won have against them nowadays so Germans can be glad the the bark beetle only appeared due to global warming in such a destructive way ... Thank you for your empathetic videos!

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you, I´m so glad you like them! Yes, only the deer know how to hide from sight there at the moment..!

[@shahlabadel8628]

very amusing! good point.

[@chubbymoth5810]

Small correction here. The Romans experienced plenty of defeats in its long history,..think of Hannibal. And like those defeats, they enacted their revenge.

[@LaureninGermany]

I think I misunderstood something, because I also don’t really understand why that is written about this battle. I normally check things out much more before I say them on camera… I‘m happy to be corrected and learn something, thank you!

[@HS-wp5vb]

In times where most people could not read and write, not even the gentry, higher education schools (that's what a Gymnasium is) were oftentimes in the hand of monastic orders. Monks were the only ones who could provide education given that they at least could read and write, oftentimes had even studied, and monsastic orders were also in demand for educated young men as their followers . Given that the number of schools war sparse, boarding schools were common, and that was also something monks were good at taking care of. Faith, education and religious supervision coincided. This is why the school also has a church. Normally it would have just been a chapel, and the existence of a grand church speaks of the eminence of the school and the worldly wealth of the order to erect it!

[@LaureninGermany]

Thank you so much! That’s great information. I obviously didn’t research in the right place, as I didn’t find out any of that. Much appreciated!

[@HS-wp5vb]

@@LaureninGermany Pleasure!

[@aka99]

Amazing video again! I like the look of the buildings in Meppen. By the way look for Meppen Tank Silencer. Nearby Meppen, the german army has got ab armour development center. Just let you know for knowledge. I tis because of that insect and because of climate change. If you walk around the forest, be aware there are maybe wolves running around. they likely wont do anything against you. But just let you known. And if you enjoy nature, you may want to visit old trees? Look for Markante und alte Bäume in Bayern.

[@LaureninGermany]

What is Markante und Alte Bäume, aka99? (So strange, I only just saw your comment!?)

[@aka99]

​@@LaureninGermany that was was a hint to use the most known webbrowser which starts with a G. i can not name it, since this plattform, i can also not name, it altough it is strange as we are actuall here, but any comment with the two words, will be deleted completely. The same goes for the most famous online encyclopedia which starts with a W. So if you search for Markante und Alte Bäume in Bayern, the first result will lead you to old trees and markante trees. Generally markant means, auffällig. In this sense, markant means, trees which look different to the average tree. Almost unique in their own way. I do not know why you just saw my comment now. I believe it is a bug of this platform here. Be lucky you saw my comment anyhow. Each german federal state got markante und alte bäume. so if you look for Markante und alte Bäume Hessen, the first entry will lead you to a list of markante und alte bäume in hessen of the online encyclopedia. And if you look carefully when walking throuh woods in germany, you may will spot Trolle and Wichtel, cutted in dead trees. Just look for Baumschnitzereien Taunus or just Baumschnitzereien and you see what kind of figures i mean. I do not know if something like this or the same existis in UK or anywhere else.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

Oh, "Meppen!" 🤦 For some reason, I thought you were saying "Melbourne" which I _knew_ wasn't right. Okay. That clears that up.

[@LaureninGermany]

You need to catch up on your sleep…

[@lazyperfectionist1]

@@LaureninGermany Actually, that might be it. Sundays are kind of rough for me. I think I'll sign out, now.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@lazyperfectionist1 lol that’s me on Mondays.

[@zweispurmopped]

Dear Lauren, there is hardly any real forest in Germany. Most of the forests you will ever see here are nothing but timber plantations. Fast growing trees like pine and spruce for construction wood dominate our landscapes, conifer monocultures in which the trees stand straight and centre in lines like tin soldiers. These monocultures are the source of the bark beetle issues and from time to time, when prices for timber are high, there's enough wood grown in a piece of plantation that it's worthwhile chopping it down, the trees will be cut down. Germany. A country where not an inch of land is spared from having money for someone squeezed out off it. One can get a bit sick of it, really. I am very happy to see that near my home town of Troisdorf things changed a bit, in the forest around Cologne/Bonn airport, trees have been allowed to actually die by themselves and rot where they fell in the recent years, so something that actually looks like central European forest may grow there.

[@LaureninGermany]

Ah…. That’s so sad to read. I hope we’ll see more forests like the one you described.

[@jeremyfeinstein8291]

Ja, so ist es nun hier in Deutschland, ich erkenne meine Heimat schon längst nicht mehr, bin nur noch fassungslos und traurig :-((

[@LaureninGermany]

Ja, leider ist das nicht zu übersehen. Sehr sehr traurig.

[@sisuguillam5109]

Wenn man sich die Informationen bei der AfD holt erkennt man Deutschland sicher nicht wieder - aber das können Sie ja auch ändern.

[@LaureninGermany]

@@sisuguillam5109 maybe he just means the forests where he lives? I didn’t think his comment was bad?

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@LaureninGermany I had a bad feeling due to the phrasing... he does follow AfD and AfD affiliated accounts.

[@LaureninGermany]

I didn´t pick up on that - language barrier, maybe. I´m sure you know better than me. There have been a couple of strange comments on this video.

[@bianca2817]

💋

[@LaureninGermany]

Hello sweetie!

[@bianca2817]

@@LaureninGermany Hey lovely Lauren 🌹🤗🌹

[@bianca2817]

@@LaureninGermany Actually I wanted to save at least one video for bad times, but I just couldn't resist - again! Damn 😄❤️

[@LaureninGermany]

@@bianca2817 I have no willpower for things I like. I also heard yesterday: never postpone joy. That gives me even more reason to do what I want 🤦🏻‍♀️😆 Editing now, I‘ll try to get you a Vorrat! 🤗😘

[@bianca2817]

@@LaureninGermany You're the BEST 💋❤️💋

[@Steven91637]

Are you Single Lauren?

[@LaureninGermany]

No! I found the most patient man in Germany 😂