Westerwald from Above
Hard to miss in the drone video: the Westerwald is severely damaged. When the dead trees are cleared away, vast open areas emerge. codecentric has placed 1.5 hectares of forest under process protection, allowing a mixed forest to grow back naturally.
Ecological Reforestation/Harnessing the Power of Self-Healing: the Idea Behind Temporary Process Protection
Our forests are under enormous strain. Climate change in particular is leaving its mark. At the same time, most German forests are commercial forests — i.e. they are owned by municipalities and private individuals who market the timber because they depend on the income. While tree planting is subsidised by the state, Monika Runkel explains that she sees it as only a partial solution to the problem: "We cannot 'plant a new forest' — we are merely planting trees as our contribution to reforestation."
For her, the key to restoring forests to a healthy balance lies in dead wood and time.
Dead Wood: Energy Source and Habitat
"The forest is a very complex, interconnected ecosystem. We cannot adapt the forest to climate change. The forest must essentially manage this on its own," says Ms Runkel. To achieve this, a maximum of biodiversity is needed, and dead wood plays a key role as an energy source and habitat: the moist, decaying wood contributes positively to the near-ground microclimate and promotes the growth of both planted and naturally seeding young trees. At the same time, it provides a habitat for thousands of species — some of them endangered — such as fungi, mites, insects, lichens, mosses, birds, bats and reptiles, including many natural enemies of the bark beetle.
"Planting takes place selectively and only where nature cannot manage on its own. In places where nature would, for example, only reseed spruce, we plant the more climate-resilient oak as an initial planting."
Cleared Areas in the Westerwald
The Westerwald is one of the most severely damaged forest areas in Germany. Since the drought years of 2018 — a consequence of climate change — and the resulting bark beetle infestation, approximately 40 percent of municipal forests have been ruined by beetle damage.
In order to generate at least some contribution margins for forest owners, most areas are "cleared" in emergency harvesting operations: every marketable cubic metre of timber is sold well below value on the faltering timber market, and the land is prepared for subsequent reforestation. Many decades of economic and ecological burden follow before the forest has recovered.
The Solution: "Giving Time" and Leaving Enough "Living Wood"
"Forests can use a 15–20 year natural succession phase without intervention to develop into a mixed forest in a very natural way. The standing and dead wood helps to mobilise the forests' self-healing powers. This benefits the ecological balance," explains the forest ranger. However, forest owners often cannot afford to leave the wood standing or lying, and there is currently no funding for this concept, says Monika Runkel. This makes it difficult — if not impossible — for municipalities to simply leave their forest alone, even if they would like to.
The solution: private eco-sponsorship can "add value" to leaving dead wood in the forest. By compensating for the expected income from a piece of commercial forest over the next 15–20 years, the municipality is given the opportunity to take the forest out of active management. This break, referred to as "temporary process protection", gives the forest enough time to recover and become more resilient. The forest remains the property of the municipality and can be managed in a nature-friendly way again after the rest period.
The healing will be visible in the forest after just two years, says Monika Runkel. It will then look like a "primeval forest". "Many people mistakenly interpret this as the forest being neglected, but it is actually something very positive, because dead wood is life — it is an indispensable building block of biodiversity."
codecentric as an Eco-Sponsor
codecentric AG has been engaged with the topic of sustainability for some time. A climate initiative has been formed that, for example, gradually improves the company's carbon footprint and raises awareness among employees. It was in this context that the idea of purchasing a piece of forest arose. codecentric employee Johann Wagner did his research and found forest ranger Monika Runkel. She explained the dilemma and the possibilities, and ultimately offered codecentric AG the idea of eco-sponsorship. "In terms of sustainability and ecological footprint, this project is worth more than most tree-planting campaigns worldwide," says Johann Wagner. Convinced by the idea, he approached founder and board member Rainer Vehns. "When it comes to sustainability, our goal is not publicity, but to make a genuine contribution," says Rainer Vehns. Monika Runkel's concept was convincing, and codecentric AG is delighted to take the first step together with her.
The 1.5 hectares that codecentric has leased are roughly the size of two football pitches. That is not much, compared to the 2,000 to 3,000 hectares of cleared land that Monika Runkel currently estimates as a result of the beetle infestation. "We have taken a first step. Now it is about raising awareness of the concept internally, among our clients and partners. The more people we can convince to get involved, the more forest we can save together," says Johann Wagner. Monika Runkel adds: "There is no lobby for this concept yet, but now a start has been made."