The foundation forest «Forest Creates Future»

The foundation forest in the German state of Brandenburg is managed as a sustainably managed forest enterprise. It carries the label PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes). The annual operating income is fully available to the Foundation. This also applies to income from leased hunting-, arable land and grassland areas. The forest located between the cities Kyritz and Wittstock consists to a large extent of pine forest.

The forest conversion, which has been in operation for twenty years, is already showing initial changes. The forest area is enriched with deciduous trees year after year. The sandy soil and the low rainfall do not provide good conditions for the growth of native deciduous trees. In addition, one fears a further escalation of the situation by changes in the climate. The foundation forest itself could benefit from one of the foundation's purposes. Adapting our domestic agriculture and forestry to global climate change is becoming increasingly important and is increasingly becoming an existential interest in many places.

The foundation forest is located in a beautiful environment rich in nature. Brandenburg is criss-crossed by arable land, forest areas and lake landscapes. An ideal recreation area for peace seekers. The amazingly high biodiversity of flora and fauna is indicative of the region and absolutely worth protecting.

Zwei Jahre dauerten die Arbeiten zur Errichtung einer biologischen Brücke, die heute bereits der Biotopvernetzung dient. Mit Planung und Zukauf von Ackerland begann diese Maßnahme. Der mehr als 1 km lange und 30 bis 60 m breite Ackerstreifen wurde mit unterschiedlichen Gehölzen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Der extrem trockene und heiße Sommer 2022 führte trotz Bewässerung zu erheblichen Ausfällen die nachgepflanzt werden mußten. Die Kooperation mit Stattwerke e.V. brachte letztlich den Erfolg einer für die Förderung der Artenvielfalt sowie Öffentlichkeits- und Bildungsarbeit nützlichen biologischen Brücke auf der eine Beobachtungsplattform sowie zahlreiche Infotafeln zum Thema Waldgärten (Aufbau, Insekten, Ernährung…)errichtet wurden.

The increasing drought and rising temperatures as a result of the noticeable climate change weaken the forest trees. The consequences are diseases and pest infestation.

An increasing problem is windstorm damage. The frequency and severity of storm events have increased. This leads to break wood, uprooted trees and high clean-up costs. The consequences of such catastrophes are an oversupply of windfall, this reduces the prices. This significantly reduces the operating income of the affected forest owners.

Windfall or other calamities cause clear blows. Here arise new forest cultures through natural rejuvenation by seed flight still existing surrounding old trees.