Emsland district: tree planting challenge with a new pyramid oak!

Emsland district: tree planting challenge with a new pyramid oak!

In the Emsland district the motto is “plant trees and set a good example”. District Administrator Marc-André Burgdorf recently planted a new pyramid oak tree at District Hall II in Meppen. This campaign took place as part of the exciting “Tree Planting Challenge”, initiated by MP Anja Troff-Schaffarzyk and the Cloppenburg district. Burgdorf itself nominated the Aurich district to also plant a tree within a week. This shows how strong the community spirit is in the region.

During the planting, Burgdorf received support from First District Councilor Martin Gerenkamp and other employees from the department and building management. Comprehensive materials such as spades, fertilizer and support stakes were provided to ensure the tree grew well despite the hot, dry summer. “We attach great importance to aftercare,” emphasized Burgdorf, because the challenge fits wonderfully into the concept of the Emsland district, which wants to promote and reshape local biodiversity.

The tree planting challenge is spreading

But the “Tree Planting Challenge” is causing a stir not only in Emsland, but also in the neighboring district of Cloppenburg. Numerous local groups such as fire departments, hunters and even music clubs are involved here. The idea behind it is simple: groups nominate each other to plant a tree and record a video of it. A funny consequence threatens: If a nominated group misses the one-week deadline, they will invite the nominating group to a barbecue!

A nice example of active participation is the Friesoythe Volunteer Fire Department, which has already planted its tree. The Friesoyth Riflemen's Guild also had a tree planted at the guild hall. The initiative has now spread to Saterland, where the brass group “Da Capo” planted a tree under the watchful eye of Mayor Thomas Otto. However, there were also unexpected challenges in Neerstedt: An apple tree had to be removed at the request of a local resident because it could potentially attract wasps. This shows that nature conservation often also has to take personal concerns into account.

The importance of trees for our future

The tree plantings are not only a beautiful sign of the community, they also make a central contribution to climate protection. According to the WWF, securing and targeted reforestation of forests is more important than ever. In order to make existing forest areas sustainable, it is crucial to replant trees such as oaks and beeches in suitable locations. Such measures are not only important for biodiversity, but also promote natural forest development.

The principle of “primeval forests of tomorrow” shows that structurally rich, healthy forests play an important role in climate protection. This also includes effective care of the forests, which are allowed to develop over years and can go through their natural phases of decay. National parks in Germany show how the undisturbed regeneration of forests can enable significant CO2 savings.

The clear conclusion from all of these initiatives is: Planting trees together is not only fun, but is also a significant measure for cross-generational environmental protection. If you would like to become active yourself or find out more about the challenge, you can find information on, for example Emsland.de or in the reports of NWZonline and WWF.de.