Reforestation is the most effective measure against climate change.
In autumn 2019, a study by ETH Zurich found that nothing fights climate change as effectively as the reforestation of trees. According to calculations, new forests could bind two thirds of man-made CO2 emissions – in this way, the goal set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees could be achieved. But for an effective forest to be created in the long term, the steps are necessary – and they are not just done on the side. On this page we will be happy to show you which steps are necessary to create a complete forest.
Step by step: The stages of work up to the forest.
Preparing the Ground and Fencing
Before planting can even begin, the entire area to be stocked must be fenced. The young saplings are on the menus of many types of animals and must be protected accordingly by enclosing the area. Once the soil has been prepared, planting follows. 7,000 to 8,000 seedlings per hectare are planted semi-automatically. Planting this number of trees and spacing ensure that tree growth is primarily upwards and not outward. When broadleaf trees like oaks are planted, this close spacing also promotes the process of rejuvenation.
Growth and Care in the Juvenile Phase
During the first year, the root system is established. Definite growth is not yet observable. As of the second year, the saplings are acclimatized, and a strong growth spurt takes place. To achieve optimum development, annual care is also necessary. Undergrowth (grasses, shrubs, etc.) must be reduced or removed, for example, by cutting. This give the tree more room and provides it with better access to light and water. At the end of the juvenile stage, the trees have then reached a height of between 2 and 4 m, depending on the type of tree.
Thinning during the Flowering Phase
The term thinning (care of the young plantation) stands for all methods used to look after the stand following the juvenile phase. This includes the selective removal of all expendable, badly shaped (twin stems, twisted or coarsely branched), diseased or damaged tree growth. The object is to promote as much good stock as possible by removing the bad.
Our reforestation areas.
Your forests are in Schleswig-Holstein, between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Near Welmbüttel, for example, north-east of Meldorf: 105 hectares designated as a nature conservation area. Or in Lehmkuhlen, a municipality that borders the town of Preetz to the east, right in the middle of the northern foothills in the hilly landscape of Schleswig-Holstein.
District of Bad Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein
The reforestation area Aukamp is located in the district of Bad Segeberg, west of the community Seedorf. Nearby is the state forest Eutin.
District of Stormarn, Schleswig-Holstein
The reforestation area is located in the district of Lütjensee.
District of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein
Bargstedt is a community in the nature park Aukrug, a large nature park in the centre of Schleswig-Holstein. The landscape is characterized by moraines, forest, heath and a multitude of ponds. There, in the area of Spreckhorst, a new forest formation was implemented by first afforestation. 11 tree species were planted there, including winter linden, hornbeam, hornbeam, Douglas spruce, red beech, English oak, sycamore maple, common apple, common pear, common sorb and sweet chestnut.
District of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein
The reforestation area Küstenwald is located on the not yet afforested meadow areas in Dänisch-Nienhof, on the peninsula Dänischer Wohld. The area, which almost completely encloses the wooded coastal strip of the Dänischer Wohld peninsula and thus directly borders the up to 30 metre high cliffs, comprises approx. 80 hectares of coastal forest. In this coastal area and on the adjacent beech stands, management is carried out in accordance with the Flora-Fauna-Habitat guidelines. There are also burial mounds and protected biotopes. The main tree species is beech with varying proportions of oak and noble deciduous woods.
District of Plön, Schleswig-Holstein
The municipality of Dannau lies in the triangle formed by the towns of Lütjenburg, Plön and Bad Malente in the middle of the Holstein Lake District in the Holsteinische Schweiz Nature Park. The Dannau lake with its adjacent approx. 36 ha is a nature reserve to protect the rare animal and plant life. A hiking trail leads around the area. In the district of Gowens, a former pasture area has been reforested.
District of Pinneberg, Schleswig-Holstein
Ellerbek borders on Hamburg-Schnelsen and Bönningstedt to the east. The Moorgraben, Mühlenau and Beek rivers flow through the community. The Beek and Mühlenau were canalized in the 1970s and provided with barrages to regulate water levels. In the course of the renaturation, barrages were replaced by bottom slides in the Ellerbek area to restore the fishability of the waters. The initial reforestation in the Krönkampsheide area comprises three plots of land located between the Krönkampsweg around the southern river Gooswischgraben.
District of Ostholstein, Schleswig-Holstein
In the hilly landscape of eastern Holstein, not far from the city of Oldenburg, is the Grammdorf district, belonging to the municipality of Wangels and bordering on the Lensahn district and the Plön district. Grammdorf is located near the Bungsberg in the Wagrien landscape. A former pasture area was used for the reforestation.
District of Bad Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein
The former pasture and farmland is located 1 km west of Groß Niendorf. The village of Groß Niendorf is located south of Bad Segeberg and about 40 km north of the city limits of Hamburg.
District of Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein
The reforestation area, a former pasture and arable land, is located about 500 m northwest of the town centre of Kellinghusen and is about 1 km away from the Stör.
District of Plön, Schleswig-Holstein
The reforestation area is located in the municipality of Lehmkuhlen near Preetz. The area, which is located in the northern foothills of the Schleswig-Holstein hill region and has been used for agricultural purposes up to now, is directly adjacent to the Lehmkuhlen Arboretum, which covers an area of around 50 hectares and is a protected monument.
District of Duchy of Lauenburg, Schleswig-Holstein
Sirksfelde belongs to the Sandesneben-Nusse district with 25 municipalities. It is located in the Duchy of Lauenburg triangle between Hamburg, Lübeck and Mölln. There are adjoining forests, former meadow and arable areas in the district were first afforested.
District of Dithmarschen, Schleswig-Holstein
The reforestation areas are located between Welmbüttel and Tellingstedt in a nature reserve with a total area of 105 ha. The area was designated by the Bund für Naturschutz under the identification FFH DE 1721-301. In addition, an area of still existing floodplain forests and an exceptional system of springs and streams is to be protected and expanded in the long term.
Would you like to take over a forest sponsorship in one of our reforestation areas? Then you are more than welcome to contact us. You will then receive a corresponding confirmation in the form of an Evers ReForest forest sponsorship certificate.
Why biodiversity is so important.
Biodiversity can be interpreted to mean the natural diversity of life; however, the term can be applied to different levels. It can refer to both the genetic diversity within a population, as well as the degree of species diversity within a particular habitat. Furthermore, it also in a general context describes the entire flora and fauna on Earth, particularly by the public and the media when it comes to the threats to animal and plant life by humans or climate change (whether due to human influence or long-term natural climate changes).
Our mission for more biodiversity in the dunes near Kattbek.
In addition to our Evers ReForest project, we actively support the Naturschutzverein Altenkattbek e.V. through conservation efforts. Efforts include the systematic removal of purple moor grass. Under the direction of biological experts, various manual and technical methods are tested to create the necessary basis for the rapid spread of the original heath vegetation.
Around eight hectares of the 152 ha flora-fauna habitat area (FFH-area) the Kattbek Dunes have been made available to the conservation group Naturschutzverein Altenkattbek e.V. for active preservation. The soil composition of the FFH-area is distinguished by large sandar areas of Weichselian glaciation. In the post-Ice Age, a dune moorland landscape with forests on acidic soils and smaller bogs developed in flat depressions.
The aim is first to preserve the various habitats in this area also in order to be able to support a rich animal and plant life (biodiversity). The heath and moor matgrass are being crowded out by the predominant purple moor grass. This grass develops hummocks and thereby raises the nutrient content with large amounts of decaying plant material. At the same time, the entire area is threatened by invasive shrubs encroaching on the habitat. Due to shrubs and trees in the dunes, the low-growing plants receive too much shade, and this is responsible for introducing even higher plants. In order to be able to preserve the heath and moor matgrass, purple moor grass and young trees must be actively cleared.
Another threat to the natural vegetation is the North American black cherry (Prunus serotina). It was introduced to Europe in the 1950’s, is fast-growing and spreads rapidly. In order to control this species effectively, young growth must regulary be cleared over a period of several years and all potential mother trees removed.