The forest as a key topic at the Open Day 2011: State Secretary Dr. Robert Kloos (middle), Member of the German Bundestag Georg Schirmbeck (President of the German Forestry Council; right) and Ulrich Huth (President of the German Timber Industry Council) with carpenters from the carpenter national team presenting their "forest profession", Source: BMELV/Thomas Imo

International Year of Forests 2011

It is now time for an interim review of the successful events organised within the scope of the International Year of Forests in the past five months after the official opening in Berlin.

(From left to right) Bettina Wulff, Brandenburg Agriculture Minister Jörg Vogelsänger, Federal President Christian Wulff, a forest warden, State Secretary Peter Bleser and schoolchildren finding out about forest insects, Source: Christof Rieken - BMELV

The forest action day in Chorin on 17 August 2011 was a highlight for 250 schoolchildren from Berlin and Brandenburg, and not only because of the interesting activities they were able to participate in.

The children were accompanied on their excursion by Federal President Christian Wulff, who has assumed the patronage of the International Year of Forests 2011 in Germany, and by his wife Bettina and BMELV Parliamentary State Secretary Peter Bleser.

And it was not just the children who had a lot of fun. The media were also very interested in this event.

From this hunting high-seat, children were able to discover hidden animals in the forest, Source: BMELV/Thomas Imo

The BMELV Open Day on 20/21 August 2011 also met with considerable interest.  In this International Year of Forests, the motto was "Forest – Countryside – Life" and domestic forests and the cultural heritage of our forests were at the centre of attention. Whether it was culinary delights, fairy tales or an adventure island with an original hunting high-seat for children – the topic of forests was well received by all visitors.

Some impressions of this event can be found in the "BMELV Open Day 2011" picture gallery.

More than 5,700 events focusing on the cultural heritage of our forests

These are only two examples of successful forest events organised within the scope of the International Year of Forests. The forest campaign, led by the BMELV, has met with great media and public interest.

Because after all, forests have a large number of roles to play. They make a valuable contribution to the climate, to the environment and to biodiversity. In addition, they are a popular area for recreation and an important economic factor:forestry and forest-based industries employ about 1.3 million people.

The BMELV is able to rely on support from many quarters, without which this success would not be possible: So far, almost 1,000 actors from the Federal Government, the Länder and municipalities as well as from the fields of nature conservation, industry and society have participated in the more than 5,700 events focusing on the cultural heritage of our forests.

People want to know more

A number of both small-scale and large-scale projects will follow in the further course of this campaign, and we will report on them on this website. The next big event will be the open air concert of the Rolling Stones keyboardist and committed forest owner Chuck Leavell at the beginning of September with 1,500 guests expected.

Only five months after the start of this campaign in late March, we can already see from the great demand for flyers, posters and information material that the topic of "forests" has met with great interest.

The great number of phone calls to the BMELV's campaign office clearly demonstrate that people want to know what there is to discover in the forest and how they can be “forest-friendly”.

Sustainable information for the next generation

Especially when it comes to forests, the term "sustainability" is of great significance – also with regard to people’s interest in information. "We can be proud that the foundation for the principle of sustainability was laid 300 years ago in the German forestry sector. It is of key importance that we pass on these principles from one generation to the next. I am therefore very glad that today so many children are devoting their attention to the forest and want to experience what it has to offer", said Parliamentary State Secretary Peter Bleser on the occasion of the forest action day with the schoolchildren in Chorin.