Forest as a carbon sink and climate protector
„1,184 million tonnes of carbon (108 tonnes of carbon per hectare) are currently bound in the living trees (above and below ground) of Germany’s forests
bound up. In deadwood, 46.1 million tonnes of carbon (4.2 tonnes of carbon per hectare) are bound.
The Federal Forest Inventory and Carbon Inventory 2022 provide the data basis for estimating carbon stocks in living biomass and deadwood. Soil models based on the results of the soil condition survey estimate a further 936 million tonnes of carbon in litter and mineral soil. In total, around 2,200 million tonnes of carbon (197.4 tonnes of carbon per hectare) are stored in the forest. … Vital forests and new afforestation
can help globally to reduce the CO2 content of the atmosphere.“
Federal Forest Inventory 2022, p. 46
Coniferous forest in climate change
Due to climate change – lack of rainfall/higher temperatures – dramatic dieback processes are currently affecting over 900,000 hectares of forest – predominantly coniferous forests – in Germany, with a rising trend.
This loss of forest and the failure of secured biomass growth leads to a lasting reduction in CO2 compensation through forest growth. The results of the fourth Federal Forest Inventory (p.7) show that, as a result of forest dieback caused by climate change and the associated loss of living biomass, the forest has become a carbon sink since 2017.
Planting deciduous trees together for the climate
„Preserving the forest and all its ecosystem services and adapting it to the changes brought by climate change is the most important challenge for
politics, forest owners and society. Rising temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and the increase in extreme events are leading to
significant disturbances in forests. … The necessary measures to preserve and adapt forests aim, in view of advancing climate change, to ensure the diverse ecosystem services of forests permanently. This requires, in many cases, active adaptation of forests to climate change by converting at-risk forests into climate-resilient mixed forests, with predominantly native tree species and provenances that are suited to the site and meet the projected climatic changes.“
Bind CO₂, secure water – get involved now
Drinking Water Forest plantings regenerate damaged areas and protect our climate. In doing so, they ensure the long-term climate stability, biodiversity and natural water cycle, alongside the quality and availability of our groundwater and drinking water.
