With its qualities for nature conservation and local recreation, the Ober-Olmer Forest is an important part of the open space system around Mainz and a prime example of how an area severely damaged by human activity can be reclaimed by nature.

Where in the early 1990s all kinds of American military equipment still cluttered the former training area, where fences, bunkers, and buildings contaminated with asbestos stood, a green oasis now stretches across an area of 350 hectares.
The artist Dörthe Bäumer had a viewing hill built on the former missile launch site. Messages of peace in English, French, Russian, and German are embedded in the steps leading up to this "Hill of Friendship" as a reminder of the Cold War.

There is almost nothing left to remind us of the forest’s military use. Fifty-eight buildings were demolished, 13,100 meters of fencing were removed, and 50,000 square meters of land were returned to its natural state. A new network of trails, approximately 25 kilometers long, invites visitors to hike, jog, ride horses, or take a stroll, and also shields the habitats of protected and endangered animals and plants through “bypasses.” Numerous rare and endangered species on the so-called “Red List,” such as orchids and amphibians, have found a habitat here in the protected area. The Ober-Olmer Forest is the largest contiguous forest and recreational area in northern Rheinhessen.

Since 2002, stelae have stood here as art installations that summarize the fates of people from Russia, the U.S., and Germany during the Cold War who were connected through the U.S. military base at Ober-Olmer Wald.