One of the greatest adventures in his work is the people themselves. Many of them live in the city and have never really experienced the forest. For them, it is a foreign world, remote and sometimes scary. Others think that there is nothing to experience there and that it is simply boring. The forest - the great unknown. And this is exactly where Stefan Knippertz comes in. He has been out and about there for as long as he can remember, which is why he later trained as a forester and passed his master craftsman's examination. "For me, the forest is a life companion. The trees, the animals, the smells, the seasons and everything that happens there. It is constantly changing." He wanted to show others just how exciting this special habitat is and make it accessible to them with his Wissen - and applied to train as a ranger.

For 18 years now, Stefan Knippertz has been a nature and landscape ranger at the Landesbetrieb Wald und Holz NRW. He monitors and maintains trails and is a competent point of contact for hikers. During his guided tours, he likes to arouse interest in the forest in a playful way. How important it is for the climate and as a water reservoir and therefore for us humans, how good it is for us and what it gives us with its raw material wood for our everyday lives. "I don't want to lecture, Sondern try to create a space for an encounter. At eye level, no matter how old the participants are." The ranger likes to take children into a mixed forest with lots of streams, like in the romantic Sorpetal - his home, by the way. He then sends the children off to discover tiny creatures, such as a spring snail, which indicates how good the water quality is. During games such as a planer saw competition between girls and boys or a test of courage while picking nettles, the children forget everything around them. Especially when their cell phones take a break for a few hours. Always with them: Eddy and Lotte, his two dogs - a bright little Jack Russell and a huge Great Dane-Doberman mix. "I like to stop at a stream or a big oak tree. With the sounds and smells, it's a really sensory experience for the children. When they are out and about in the forest, they get really hungry. Some then fall asleep, especially when they stroke the soft fur of the dogs."

Ranger Knippi, as he is known in his hometown, also takes youngsters for a stroll through his hunting grounds at Sauerland-Höhenflug and the Sauerland-Waldroute. Although they are usually more difficult to get out of their multimedia world. "But the games we play together work almost as well for them as they do for the little ones," says Stefan Knippertz with a smile. And after a few hours outside, they understand why it makes more sense to plant a tree or an orchard for bees than to give a like on the internet or take to the streets for Fridays for future. "Think globally, but act locally" is his motto and he wants people to make better use of the resources available. Whether big or small - Stefan Knippertz can feel how nature "embraces" people on every tour, how they become calmer Werden and also come together more with each other. He himself enjoys his workplace in the middle of nature - in sun and rain. The hustle and bustle of a big city is not for him, he finds the best way to relax in the forest itself. In very different ways: He collects mushrooms, follows animal tracks or sits in a quiet place in the evening to reflect on the day. The forest - a thoroughly sensual experience for him. But as a power ranger, he naturally also has other hobbies, a very loud one at that: he carves fantastic sculptures out of wood with his chainsaw.