Mountain forest project at Forstbetrieb Schliersee: Volunteers from all over Germany

Created: 05/08/2022, 17:04

Numerous helpers are out and about in the forest in the district of Miesbach to support nature.

© GB

District – Almost 90 volunteer participants from all over Germany carry out work in the mountain forests between Schliersee and Bayrischzell to protect the ecosystem.

Until Friday, May 14th, the Bergwaldprojekt association will be active at the Schliersee forestry operation of the Bavarian State Forests and in Holzkirchen with the Bergwaldoffensive of the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (AELF).

During this time, almost 90 voluntary participants from all over Germany will carry out various nature conservation work in the forests of the forest enterprise as well as in private and municipal forests and get to know the mountain forest ecosystem better.

In the third week at Schliersee, young adults take part in an alternative seminar during their voluntary ecological year about the Evangelical Youth in Bavaria.

The goals of the assignment are to improve the ecological situation at the project site and to sensitize the participants to the careful use of natural resources even beyond the weeks.

Postcode lottery helps with 6,000 euros

Guided by Dominik Kopf, Henning Rothe and Karolin Prott from Bergwaldprojekt and under the direction of the Bergwaldoffensive manager Franz Jäger from the AELF and the district manager Christian Lischka from the Schliersee forestry company and Peter Lechner, the volunteers will carry out various work in the protective forest around Bayrischzell.

They will maintain the infrastructure required to look after the protective forests, build high hides to support hunting, implement measures to improve biotopes, plant young native trees and carry out maintenance measures in favor of stable mixed mountain forests.

Korbinian Wolf, Head of Forestry at the AELF, explains: “Climate change has made it even more important to intensively and time-consumingly tend mountain forests.

This applies to state forests as well as private and corporate forests.”

An important concern of the project weeks is to convey the importance of protective forests and to make them tangible.

In addition to practical work, one excursion per week is also planned.

The groups are accommodated in shared rooms.

Our own cooks take care of feeding the volunteers with ecologically produced, vegetarian and, if possible, regional and seasonal whole foods.

The week of the mountain forest project forest school is financially supported by the postcode lottery with around 6,000 euros.

Mountain forest project changes participants

"The participants actively get to know the mountain forest, its important protective functions and its biodiversity and, during the varied weeks, make a personal contribution to its preservation for future generations," explains Jörg Meyer, head of the Schliersee forestry operation.

Karolin Prott adds: "During the deployment weeks, the participants feel their own self-efficacy in the climate crisis.

That is a positive feeling and makes you want more.

Many go home and change at least some areas of their everyday life, for example act in a more resource-saving manner.

In this way they participate in social change towards sustainable development.”