Climate change has a firm grip on us and is causing our native forests to suffer more and more. That is why we want to help and have launched a project to support the forest in Germany.

In 2021, we reached out and searched for a damaged piece of forest that we could take care of. And lo and behold! After a long search, many talks, and calls, we found it: Our future wijld forest. Spanning over 81,000 m², the still rather barren woodland area in the Sauerland near Marsberg is just waiting to be planted and restored!

And here you come into play, because this heartfelt project can only be achieved together, and with every order on wijld.com, you help protect a piece of forest on the side. For each order, exactly 0.6 m² of forest area is involved, which we will reforest and care for in order to one day create a healthy forest. This task will not be easy and is truly challenging. Creating a healthy ecosystem requires a lot of planning, time, and patience. For an area of 8.1 hectares, we currently estimate planting about 10,500 trees. Depending on how many large and small tree species we need for a well-established mixed forest, the number may vary slightly. Before each planting, it must of course be carefully checked which main and secondary trees are suitable for the location and will provide the greatest benefit to nature and the environment in the long term.

But just the thought that our forest (once it has grown big and strong) can bind up to 81 tons of CO² annually makes us beam and go planting full of motivation!

It is especially important to us that everyone can actively help and witness the progress of our reforestation and restoration efforts. Therefore, we want to enable every interested person, as well as school classes or forestry students, to accompany Waldemar already during its creation process and help shape our project.

Our forest in the Sauerland, however, is only the first of many more forests we want to protect. For our long-term goal is to save as many forest areas affected by the climate crisis and destroyed by environmental damage as possible. This is also where our idea came from, to bring some pace to our work through forest sponsorships and together with you, not only to protect the first 8.1 hectares of forest area for the future but to acquire and restore further areas as quickly as possible. After all, together one can always achieve more.

Did you know that the term “sustainability” comes from forestry? Due to an increasing shortage of wood across regions, true forestry emerged in the early 18th century and replaced the previously prevailing uncontrolled exploitation of forests. The basic idea of sustainable forestry can be summed up as only using as much wood as can naturally regrow. Sustainable forestry also ensures that newly planted trees are not monocultures, which on one hand are more vulnerable to pests and on the other hand harm the soil and take away animals’ habitats.

But how can one plant trees on the one hand and use wood for, for example, clothing on the other? What at first may seem incompatible makes all the more sense once you understand the background:

Working with trees is indeed right and important. At its best, a tree produces oxygen, provides habitat, and binds carbon dioxide. With trees from sustainable forestry, the main goal is to make optimal use of the carbon dioxide stored in them, which is why they are only felled after many years. If this did not happen, many would die due to lack of light or fungal infestation, rot, and release the stored carbon back into the air. The felled trees thus form a long-term carbon store and are at the same time perfectly suited to be used as an environmentally friendly material in various fields.