Around 10,000 new trees: a two-hectare new forest is growing in Dannenberg, Brandenburg, as part of a compensatory measure for the construction of a greenwind wind turbine. The company WaldWieseHolz GmbH from Buckow, Brandenburg, is commissioned to carry out such legally prescribed ecological reforestation. We ask forestry graduate Rudolf Ehwald, Managing Director of WaldWiesenHolz: How does such a compensation process work (according to 8 LWaldG Brandenburg and § 14 BNatSchG (regional forest law and general nature conservation law)?

“The most important thing for the success of sustainable initial afforestation is realistic planning based on the soil and climatic conditions,” explains the forestry scientist. “The first step is to procure reserve areas, which then have to be approved. This includes planning with the owner of the land, site surveys and cooperation with the responsible forestry office. The area then has to be fenced to protect it from roe deer and red deer. The animals are responsible for 99 per cent of the destruction of young plants!” The area is mechanically prepared, mowed, maintained and improved. “If mugwort and other weeds are two metres high, no tree will grow that is half a metre tall when planted.”

Around 5,000 native, site-adapted plants are planted per hectare. In this project alone, there are 2,159 sessile oaks, 7,281 hornbeams and 2,084 European white elms. At the edge of the forest there will be 904 forest edge plant, such as field maple, wild apple and pear, rowan, hawthorn, blackthorn, native wild roses and red dogwood.

“We then check the fences regularly and mend them if necessary. Regular mowing and maintenance are required for around three years until the weeds have been suppressed by the planting. Monitoring the entire forest takes five to seven years. The official, supervised reforestation is only successfully completed when such a small forest has grown to about a man’s height and has been approved as a ‘secure crop’ by the forestry administration and the client of the construction measures. In the case of Dannenberg, this means in around two years.”

“Of course, the success of the measure also depends on the climatic conditions and the soil conditions. Drought and sandy soil are a hindrance, but if we do a good job, the trees almost always grow well!” says Rudolf Ehwald. He currently has 120 hectares under management, with a focus on eastern Brandenburg. “Compensation measures are required for many types of land use – whether for road and house construction or gravel pits. But since wind turbines have been built in commercial forests, more and more orders are also coming from this area!”

Photo: Rudolf Ehwald and Johanna Fritzsch