School forests: trees for our children

The earth is glowing: In the last hundred years, its temperature has already risen by one degree Celsius. At first glance, this may not seem like much, but it has serious consequences for sensitive ecosystems. Appropriate measures must be taken to contain the damage, hence our motto: Plant not words, but trees!

The leitmotif of the project is the role the forest plays in climate protection. In Germany alone, the forest binds around 58 million tonnes of the climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) every year through the growth of trees. An intact and healthy forest is therefore crucial. To understand this, it is important to understand the connections between the forest as an ecosystem and the environment with its influence on the climate. 

The challenge here is that many children no longer know the forest at all. Leisure activities increasingly take place within their own four walls and school lessons take place in buildings made of steel, glass and concrete. But you can't protect what you don't know! 

One of the goals of the school forest project is therefore to bring young people closer to nature through sustainable environmental education and to promote a lasting awareness of nature. This is done through forest experiences in which the children and young people become active together as a team in their school forest. 

There are over 70 school forests spread all over Lower Saxony. The foundation currently works with more than 110 educational institutions. The pupils have planted their school forests themselves - with the support of the Future Forest Foundation, committed volunteers and many sponsors and supporters.

The required area is made available to them free of charge by private or public landowners within the framework of a cooperation agreement. The schools take responsibility for their forest for 30 years. During this time, they are allowed to use it as a green classroom, to carry out their own activities and to design it freely. As a rule, the school forest is firmly integrated into the curriculum or into environmental study groups. Every child will go to the school forest until they graduate. In this way, the forest develops into a psychotope - a familiar environment. The young people learn through play to be active in nature and also to take care of it later as adults.