News about the Hofheim forest area

The next audit date will be April 22, 2026 by the certification body GFA Certification GmbH.

As in previous years, the audit report will be published in the category Sustainable management of the Hofheim municipal forest published after approval by the municipal council.

The town of Hofheim has had an amphibian fence erected at the Viehweide just in time for the start of the toad migration. "The background to this is that there were high losses of common toads at the Viehweide last year," explains First City Councillor Daniel Philipp. In spring, the toads migrate from their winter quarters in the forest across the road to spawn in the pond opposite and get caught up in the traffic.

The new wooden fence is 550 meters long and 40 cm high; it stands between the edge of the forest and the road to the restaurant. The town received funding for this from the Lower Nature Conservation Authority. The cooperation partner is the Hofheim branch of BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland).

A total of 30 catching buckets are set into the ground at regular intervals for the toads to collect in during their nightly migration. Every morning, someone - usually volunteers from BUND - comes and transfers the toads into a transport bucket. They are then carried to the pond where they are released. The toads are also counted and recorded by sex on a record sheet.

"In addition to our forestry administration, I would like to thank all the volunteers from BUND who step in early in the morning to check the catching buckets - especially at weekends, on public holidays and during vacations," says Daniel Philipp.

The toads also need help on the way back. However, a permanent fence cannot be installed on the pond side. That is why there is now a mobile fence there every year during the toad season, which interrupts the toads' return migration towards the forest. Buckets are also set into the ground here, where the toads collect before being returned to the forest.

Depending on the weather, the toad migration lasts from around the end of February until June. "After that, we're looking forward to evaluating the bows," says Philipp.

Every spring, thousands of common toads embark on a dangerous journey to their spawning waters. Without our help, this route, at the Hofheimer-Viehweide, would be a deadly trap. Help us to get the common toads safely across the road.

The Usinger Straße L3368 will be temporarily closed on 14.01.2026 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. due to necessary logging work.

Timber is being felled in the vicinity of the road, which means that the danger zone must be temporarily cordoned off for safety reasons. The road closure will be supervised by the city police.

We ask for your understanding.

While stocks last: On Saturday, December 13, 2025, you can cut your own Christmas tree in the district town of Hofheim am Taunus from 10 am to 3 pm. In the in-house Christmas tree plantation without the use of fertilizers or pesticides, you will find optimally grown Christmas trees as well as differently shaped Christmas trees. The latter are offered at a lower price.

The Christmas tree plantation is located at the "Weberhäuschen" on the district road 787 between Langenhain and Diedenbergen. Parking is available in the forest parking lot of the Taunus Nature Park. Please bring suitable tools (handsaw, gloves).

As in previous years, the Waldjugend Hofheim will be selling sausages and hot drinks. You can also purchase decorative works by a local wood carver and decorative brushwood.

Severe storms increase the danger in the forest. Dry branches or even entire trees can fall to the ground in light winds. Particular caution is also required when thunderstorms are approaching and the wind is picking up strongly. Citizens are asked not to go into wooded areas or hike through open or elevated terrain during severe weather warnings.

As a possible consequence, streams and smaller rivers can suddenly swell and even overflow in places. Mudslides and minor landslides are possible on slopes, and there is a risk of severe damage to agriculture in the event of hailstorms. Damage can also be caused by thunderstorm gusts, trees can be uprooted or branches torn off.

Top priority during storms: If possible, do not stay outdoors and do not seek shelter under single trees. Stop staying in or on the water immediately and go ashore without delay.

The wildlife park in Hofheim's city forest has a new addition: a few days ago, one of the females in the enclosure gave birth to three newborns. This brings the total number of wild boars living in the park below the chapel at the Meisterturm to eleven - four older, four younger and three very small ones.

Due to the renewed snowfall, the district town of Hofheim am Taunus asks you not to enter the city forest until further notice. There is still a risk of trees falling and branches breaking off under the weight of the snow.

The Hofheim community foundation's tree planting campaign is once again a great success: on the planting days in October and November, everyone was able to lend a hand and contribute to saving Hofheim's city forest. Almost 220 helpers, including around 40 children and young people and 20 supervisors from the Hofheim children's and youth fire departments as well as 25 children from the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), worked together to plant around 3,500 trees in the Langenhain and Wildsachsen municipal forests.

The benches at the Jacobsruhe rest area on Albertsweg have been renewed. The square is named after Jakob Christoph Westenberger. He lived nearby from 1808 to 1874 and distributed slices of bread to needy schoolchildren.