In order to better protect the city’s surrounding forests, the local government in Berlin has announced plans to plant 500.000 trees.
Oak, beech, hornbeam, small leaf limes, elms and maples - the earthy forest floors of Berlin are set to be sown with 500.000 new seedlings.
The Senate for Environment and Climate Protection is coordinating the so-called mixed forest project, which has been around since 2012 and aims to make the forests around Berlin more climate-resistant.
For this reason, many pine trees, which are highly flammable because of their sap and needles, will be replaced with more deciduous species, which will improve the water balance in forests.
Almost one-fifth of the capital is covered in trees. However, according to an annual report on the condition of Berlin’s forests, the number of healthy trees is on a consistent decline. 40 percent of trees in Berlin’s forests are now significantly damaged.
Wildfires have become more frequent across the country in recent years and 2023 saw one of Germany’s largest forest fires spread in Jüterbog, in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg.
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