More than 300,000 hectares of German forest have died during the drought years 2018, 2019 and 2020. In October 2020, Drees & Sommer joined forces with local action group Bergwaldprojekt to plant indigenous tree species state forests in Lower Saxony. The aim was to promote near-natural forest development in the hardest-hit areas managed by the Lauterberg Forestry Commission Office in Lower Saxony.
The current forest dieback in Germany is the result of climate change caused by human activity. Spruce and pine monocultures, which make up more than half of the country’s forests, are at greatest risk.
More than 4,000 hectares of forest in the area managed by the Forestry Commission Office in Lauterberg, Lower Saxony have been lost as the result of drought damage, blowdown and bark beetle infestation – including more than 200 hectares the Braunlage Wurmberg area (Harz Mountains). The devastation has resulted in large open spaces, some of which now have a climate hostile to forest regrowth.
To promote the development of near-natural forest in these areas, on October 23, 2020, Drees & Sommer employees planted 624 indigenous black alders as part of a planting day in cooperation with the Bergwaldprojekt (Mountain Forest Project) action group and the Lower Saxony State Forestry Commission.
The aim of the labor-intensive project is to promote the conversion of sensitive coniferous forest to near-natural climate-stable mixed forest, thus preserving the way in which the forest protects drinking water, air quality, biodiversity and the climate.
With their efforts, the Drees & Sommer staff have made a significant contribution to preserving the forest and promoting sustainable forests.
"I thought it was a mega-event and the initiative was awesome. Many thanks, once again!"
Thoralf Krause, Drees & Sommer
