Jan, you studied forestry, are our climate forester at Planted and have been involved with the forest all your life. What makes the forest so special for you?
Jan Borchert: That's right, the forest is something very special for me. But not just for me, but for all plants, animals and people. Because it is a habitat, water reservoir, air filter and CO2 reservoir - and simply beautiful! At least in most places. However, some forests are in a very bad way and to ensure that our forests are still available to our children, we are converting them to make them climate-stable.
You briefly mentioned that the forest is not doing so well. How are our German forests doing?
Jan Borchert: Unfortunately, the climate crisis showed its worst face in 2018, 2019 and 2020. It was far too warm and too dry. What's more, the climate changes from day to day. We humans can cope with this without any problems, but not trees. They stand in the blazing sun all day long, whereas we sit in the shade of the treetops when in doubt. In short: four out of five trees in Germany are doing badly. Entire forests are dying. We need to react immediately to prevent the next catastrophe.
Can our forests still be saved?
Jan Borchert: Naturally. Nature always finds a way and we help nature to heal itself quickly. It's important to understand that we at Planted are merely providing impetus through our plantings. For example, we bring back tree species that once stood in these places and were felled for spruce. Now the spruce trees are dying, but the "old" trees are no longer there. So nature cannot regenerate naturally. By using several tree species, we provide the selection options that are so important for nature and in the end, nature decides which trees can grow best and form an intact forest.
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At Planted, it is important to us that the planted tree species form a climate-stable mixed forest. What does that mean?
Jan Borchert: Climate-stable mixed forests are formed by tree species that are known for being able to survive with little water, withstand great heat and strong storms. This is achieved by tree species that have deep roots, so-called taproots or heart roots. Or tree species that generally grow well in the warmer regions of Germany and have also survived 2018-2020. These trees will be able to withstand all the dangers posed to the forest by the climate crisis.
Is it absolutely necessary to reforest the forests?
Jan Borchert: Forests are being left to their own devices in some places in Germany. Even near one of our reforestation sites. A spruce forest there died in a storm in the early 2000s. We can see that 85% of this area "left to its own devices" is growing spruce again. And what else? There are only spruce seeds in the ground. Man has changed nature once and it is no longer nature. We have to return to nature by changing it again and, above all, to a climate-stable forest.
Let me give you an example for a better understanding: if there was an oil spill on the beach, nobody would think of saying "let's leave it to nature, it will sort it out". We humans have brought something to a place that is not good for nature. And we have to remove it and then let nature decide for itself. I hope this example makes clear the need to convert a monoculture into a mixed forest.
Our forests are one of the most important natural carbon sinks we have in the world. The German forest alone relieves our atmosphere of 127 million tons of CO2 every year. To what extent can reforestation and the Planted model counteract climate change?
Jan Borchert:Planting trees is just one of the two pillars of Planted. It saves our forests in Germany and ensures that our children and grandchildren can also experience clean water, clean air and wild animals. Our second pillar is supporting international climate protection projects that also avoid CO2. In this way, we provide the best solution for climate protection in Germany and worldwide. Companies and private customers can become climate-neutral with us and plant trees in Germany - and I am proud of every commitment!
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