22,000 seedlings are the target
Sustainable project "Planting today for tomorrow" starts in the fall holidays
As the fall vacations approach in North Rhine-Westphalia, the starting signal for the ambitious nature conservation and environmental project "Planting Today for Tomorrow" by the town of Winterberg, the municipal forestry operation and Winterberg Touristik und Wirtschaft GmbH in cooperation with the Krombacher brewery is drawing ever closer. 11,000 seedlings are to be planted in the first planting phase, which begins next Saturday, October 9, in an area near the Schwedenhütte in Altastenberg. The brewery from Krombach will donate an additional 11,000 seedlings, so that by October, a proud 22,000 young deciduous trees will enrich the area. Citizens, clubs, organizations and companies in Winterberg as well as guests of the Winterberg and Hallenberg vacation region can actively participate in the campaign as a Winterberg tree sponsor for just 5 euros per tree. For the premiere in the fall vacations, there are three special offers from the town and WTW. The municipal forestry company also sees the project as a good approach, particularly in view of the bark beetle plague, to sustainably strengthen the forest stock and create more mixed forests in the long term.
"We at Winterberg's forestry company think the campaign is good in principle, especially from an economic point of view. In order to achieve a sustainable effect, the project must of course be designed for the long term with subsequent campaigns," says forestry operations manager Michael Kleinsorge. The planting campaign is initially a symbolic act to support the forestry operation, which will be supplemented with professional reforestation afterwards. The consequences of the bark beetle plague continue to cause concern. "The damage is immense. At the moment, almost twice as much wood is being felled as in normal times. If next year doesn't improve, we will have felled around 40,000 solid cubic meters more than usual in three years," explains Kleinsorge. Although the planting campaign can only cover a small percentage of this damage, "it is important in places where there is little or no natural regeneration so that the areas do not lie fallow and become overgrown". In addition, the campaign should also serve as an initial spark by introducing tree species other than spruce to the region in order to create mixed forests in the long term. The hoped-for easing of the situation in summer has apparently not materialized; now the winter should alternate between cold and wet to have a positive effect on the beetle population.
Maintaining a stronger connection to the urban forest as a sponsor
In order to get the situation under control as best as possible, the forestry experts from the municipal company are removing the infested trees from the forests as quickly as possible and thus also some of the bark beetles. In addition, so-called beetle monitoring is carried out in order to quickly identify infested trees and then cut them down as quickly as possible. With a view to future planting campaigns as part of the "Winterberg tree sponsors" project, Michael Kleinsorge does not see a problem with space. "There are currently areas for future campaigns in almost every village." The forestry operations manager sees other good reasons for citizens to actively participate in the project in addition to those mentioned above. "As a tree sponsor, you develop a stronger connection to your municipal forest, because it is basically the citizens' forest, which is only managed by the forestry company. On the other hand, it is also important to set an example in times of climate change and to remind everyone of their ecological footprint."
Motivation enough not only for the people of Winterberg, local clubs and companies to get involved in the project. Whether with one seedling or several. But there are even more incentives to take a little time in the coming weeks of the fall vacations to get out into the fresh air and consciously take on a sponsorship. This is because the city and WTW have come up with three exciting offers at the start of the first planting phase that will make you want to take the initiative.
Three attractive offers for taking on a sponsorship
Offer 1 invites you to a climate experience hike with tree donation & tree planting. This all-round carefree package includes a guided hike with a nature park ranger from the northern slope over the Kahler Asten to Altastenberg to the planting area near the Schwedenhütte. A visit to the weather station on the Kahler Asten with weather expert Meinolf Pape is included. Drinks (provided by the Krombacher brewery) are of course also included. One seedling is already included in the price of this offer of 10 euros per person. Additional seedlings can be purchased for 5 euros each. The dates are October 13 and 20 at 2.30 pm and October 9, 16 and 23 at 10.30 am. The hike takes just under 2.5 hours over 7 kilometers and is not suitable for baby carriages. The meeting point is the north slope. The S40 bus departs at 10.13 am and 2.13 pm from Winterberg-Pforte in the direction of the Nordhang and back again after the event. Registration is possible at www.winterberg-baumpate.de or by calling 02981 92500.
The second offer only includes the tree donation and planting without the hike. The following dates are available: October 9 to 23 on Wednesdays from 5 to 6 pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 am to 12 pm and from 3 to 4 pm and Saturdays from 1 to 2 pm. Simply register up to one day before the desired date on the above-mentioned website or by telephone on 02981 92500 and off you go. The cost is 5 euros per person including seedling and a drink. The meeting point for planting will be communicated after booking.
The third offer is exclusively a tree donation. If you would like to sponsor a tree but do not want to or cannot plant the seedling yourself, you can choose this option. Simply buy a tree via the above-mentioned website or telephone number and have it planted by the forestry company. Quite simply and without much effort for 5 euros per tree.
With offers 1 and 2, the forestry company's employees help to plant the tree. All sponsors receive a certificate as a thank you for their commitment. In addition, a plaque will be erected at the planting site on which the names of the sponsors who have done their bit to preserve the green heart of the Sauerland will be immortalized. All further information on the "Winterberg tree sponsors" project can be found on the website at www.winterberg-baumpate.de!