"The Brandheide in Recklinghausen-Suderwich is one of several patches in the area, which are called heaths but are not, and they all got their names at a time when natural beech, birch and oak forests are largely over-exploited and degraded to heathland In the 19th century, the heathland was reforested, mostly with fast-growing conifers such as pine and larch.
That's probably how the Brandheide got it. Today, the deciduous trees mentioned above, as well as rowan, poplar, black alder and red oak, stand on the damp ground. In order to drain the once much more damp reason, ditches were created, which are today mostly dry. They carry their little water to the Emscher, from which the fire heath is framed in the south.
The alleged heath is actually a pretty forest that adorns with footbridges and avenues. In the Second World War, the area was repeatedly hit by the Allied bombing squadrons, which were attracted by the ship's hoist, the canals and the collieries. Especially in the northeast of the forest, some craters still bear witness to this terrible intermezzo. In the "Emscher Zone" badly affected by the short episode of coal and steel, Brandheide has become a pretty place worth exploring. "Source: WAZ