Aachen Forest (German: Aachener Wald, Aachen dialect Öcher Bösch, Dutch: Akenerbos) lies about 3.7 km south of the city centre of Aachen and has an area of 2,357 ha. It essentially comprises the forest areas of the former free imperial city of Aachen south and west of the formerly independent municipalities of Burtscheid and Forst , as well as north and east of the Belgian border. Apart from a few small plots, it is all in municipal ownership. In July 2003, the Forest of Aachen was awarded the environmental seal of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) on the initiative of Greenpeace, which was extended in 2008 for another five years.[1]