forest experience
On the occasion of the German Forest Days, numerous visitors interested in forests and the environment were drawn to the foundation forest in September 2023.
The aim of the event was to familiarize visitors with the foundation's purpose of environmental protection and to provide exemplary information about how environmental protection is practiced in the foundation's forest. An area of approx. 3 hectares intended for forest conversion served as the meeting point and reason for the event. The existing mono-stock of pine trees was thinned out in advance in order to be planted with around 9,000 deciduous trees in the next few weeks.
Many visitors were able to find out more about the foundation, watch cold-blooded horses plowing the forest floor in a way that protects the soil, plant a tree, take part in forest tours, try their hand at sawing wood, guess tree species, find out useful information about forest mushrooms, admire animal specimens, but also do crafts and fun things with natural materials Play games.
Inspired by the diverse offerings, many visitors are already looking forward to the next events in the foundation forest.
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.
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.
The purpose of the foundation "Environmental Protection" should be implemented in concrete terms in the foundation forest. In agreement with local agriculture, targeted programs such as organic farming, extensive grassland management or field marginal strip crops with bloomer blends can be implemented here.
forestry practice
The annual logging gives the Foundation important income. Each felled tree was previously selected for sustainable and good forestry practice. The transformation of pure monocultures into mixed forest stands, whose self-healing powers are strengthened by healthy forest soil and well-planned forestry crops, is one of the primary tasks of the foundation forest.
