Responsibility for children also means responsibility for their future

Fifteen years ago, the company Gollnest & Kiesel planted trees for the first time. Under the mot-  to „A tree for every newborn child in Schleswig- Holstein“, Gollnest & Kiesel has contributed in a small way to making the most sparsely wooded federal state a little greener.

On 18 October 2019, the forest-planting cam- paign took place in Struvenhütten. The land was made available by the Schleswig-Holstein State Forests. Gollnest & Kiesel is donating a total of 10,000 trees to the local forestry company, in- cluding oaks, hornbeams, sorbs and chequers. Chestnuts are also included for the first time. This is to test whether this species will grow well, as it is capable of resisting increasing global warming. Wild apple trees, which are threatened with extinction, will also be planted. Flo- wering plants for birds and bees will line the edge of the forest.

The first cuttings were planted with the active help of the children from the day care centre Adventure Land Sievershütten „The Little Woodruffs“.

The first cuttings were planted with the active help of the children from the day care centre Adventure Land Sievershütten „The Little Woodruffs“.

                                                                                                                                                                             A little woodruff at work.                                                                                      Fritz-Rüdiger Kiesel with a diligent helper. 

In his speech, Dr. Heiner Garg (FDP), Minister for Social Affairs, Health, Youth, Family and Senior Citizens of Schleswig-Holstein, praised the commitment of Gollnest & Kiesel: „Since 2004, your company has been involved in the state government‘s plan to increase the proportion of forest to twelve percent. We
regard the campaign as exemplary. In the meantime, planting trees has become a trend. We hope that it will continue for a long time to come, and people are more than welcome to join in. Here‘s to another 400,000 trees.“ 

In her welcome address, Julia Paravicini, Deputy Director of the Schleswig-Holstein State Forests, emphasised: „Against the background of the climate protection discussion, reforestation is currently on everyone‘s lips. The binding of CO2 from the air by trees contributes significantly to improving the climate. The people at Gollnest & Kiesel decided to support reforestation 15 years ago. They recognised the necessity and the benefits of reforestation for humanity at a very early stage.“ 

For Fritz-Rüdiger Kiesel of Gollnest & Kiesel GmbH & Co. KG, forestry promotion is a matter close to his heart and his favourite event every year, regardless of the weather: „The children of the Adventure Land Sievershütten day care centre are showing us what is important for the future. A Friday for trees, a Friday when we plant. In Schleswig-Holstein we still need about 15,000 hectares of reforestation to reach the target of 12 percent forest cover. Here, politicians are also called upon to provide land for the forests accor- dingly. And so we want to plant trees again to- day, because whoever receives something from nature should also give something back to it.“

Another action took place in the Süderlügum fo- rest, North Friesland, where 5,000 trees were planted. This means that almost 400,000 trees have been donated by Gollnest & Kiesel in 15 years.

Schleswig-Holstein is the most sparsely woo- ded state in Germany and has set itself the target of planting trees on 12% of its area. The forest is an important natural habitat for the pre- servation of biodiversity. Forests produce bio- mass and oxygen from CO2 and sunlight. In this way, they bind carbon dioxide and thus help to mitigate climate change. Over the course of 120 years, an average grown beech absorbs about 3.5 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. If trees are burned or decompose, the gas is released again. However, if wood is used sustainably, for example for furniture or toys, the CO2 remains bound.

Forests are unbeatable as recreational areas. Resting and re-energising, listening to the sounds of nature, observing animals – these are things that future generations should also be able to experience.