Forest donation

in the Harz district

Background on the forest situation

Unfortunately, the Harz forests have not been spared from the extreme weather conditions of recent years. Many forest areas in the Harz district have been particularly affected by subsequent bark beetle infestations, which were promoted by drought and heat.

While in the Harz National Park the worldwide national park motto “Let nature be nature” is being implemented, allowing nature to develop freely without human interference, forestry is actively driving forest transformation. The spruce monocultures are being converted into climate-resilient and site-appropriate mixed forests with great effort and financial cost.

With this forest donation project, we want to support reforestation in the Harz district and publish on these pages both information about reforestation projects that have already been carried out and about forest donation areas planned for the future. This project is a joint initiative consisting of the Forest Crisis Team of the Harz district, as well as the Harzer Wandernadel and the Harzer Tourismusverband.

Donation account

Donations for forest projects are very welcome:

Account holder: „Gesund älter werden im Harz e.V.“
IBAN: DE35 8105 2000 0320 2813 29
BIC: NOLADE21HRZ
Bank: Harzsparkasse
Reference: “Waldspende Harzinfo”

Note: For donations under 300 euros, no donation receipt is required (a simplified proof of donation in the form of a booking confirmation or account statement is sufficient for the tax office). A donation receipt for donations starting from 300 euros can be requested from the association “Growing older healthily in the Harz e.V.” (by email to ).

Forest donation projects

Reforestation at Kantorberg

Near Ilsenburg
Area size 1 ha
Reforestation in April 2024
5,575 saplings

On Monday, 29 April 2024, thanks to the Radio Brocken Tree Giving campaign, 5,575 trees were planted on the roughly 600 m high Kantorberg in the Ilsenburg town forest by the Vogt tree nursery together with the forest warden Lutz Böge and Klaus Dumeier from the Harzer Wandernadel.

To make sure the trees can grow well, the roughly 1 ha area was fenced with wire mesh and protected against browsing animals. The trees planted were 4,000 sessile oaks, 1,000 small-leaved limes, 500 coastal firs, 20 wild cherries, and 5 sweet chestnuts.

A big thank you goes to the donors of Radio Brocken Tree Giving.

Reforestation at Stumpfrücken

Near Ilsenburg
Area size 1 ha
Reforestation in November 2023
Over 7,000 saplings

The area of about one hectare is located above the well-known “Ilsestein” in the municipal forest of the town of Ilsenburg. From the site, you have a lovely view of the Harz Foreland. Unfortunately, the spruce stand was severely weakened by the drought of recent years, infested by bark beetles, and eventually died off. Consequently, the damaged wood was harvested at the end of 2022.

After the area was prepared for new plantings in spring 2023, a total of 4,000 red oaks, 2,000 sessile oaks, 1,000 small-leaved limes, as well as some sweet chestnuts and bird cherries, were finally planted on 9 November 2023. Due to the high wild animal population, the area is to be fenced off afterwards.

Reforestation at the Hammwarte

Near Quedlinburg
Area size 0.5 ha
Reforestation in autumn 2023
Almost 2,000 saplings

The forest donation area “Hammwarte” is located in the Quedlinburg city forest and offers a beautiful view of Quedlinburg with the collegiate hill. Unfortunately, the spruce population was severely weakened by the drought of recent years, infested by bark beetles, and eventually died off. During the summer months of 2023, the sloping area was first cleared and prepared for reforestation. In autumn 2023, Hammwarte was replanted with a mix of sessile oaks, field maples, hornbeams and wild cherries. Because of the high game population, the area was also fenced off to protect the young shoots from being eaten.

Reforestation at the Königshütte Dam

Near Königshütte
Area size 6.65 ha
Reforestation in spring 2023
20,800 seedlings

The reforestation area is located at the so-called Trogfurter Bridge and, thanks to the nearby stamping point of the Harz Hiking Badge, it is interesting and well visited by both locals and tourists. The 6.65-hectare area could be reforested with a mix of sycamore maple, European larch, wild cherry, Turkish hazel, and small-leaved lime thanks to the financial support of Fels-Werke GmbH. Fels-Werke GmbH is a local company and one of the largest employers in the Harz region. The company extracts limestone from its own deposits, which is then burned into lime and used, for example, for air purification, drinking water treatment, and wastewater treatment.

At the site, an information board including the photo spot of the initiative “Der Wald ruft…” provides information about the project. Through the photos taken here, plant growth can be followed almost in time-lapse via #derwaldruft on Instagram.

Reforestation at Plessenburg

Near Ilsenburg
Area size 1.5 ha
Reforestation in May 2022
5,500 seedlings

The area is embedded in the hiking trail network of Plessenburg, a popular destination for locals and tourists in the Ilsetal valley. As part of a planting campaign by the Ilsenburg town administration, a small section was already planted with sycamore maple and Douglas fir in autumn 2020. The reforestation of the remaining 1.5-hectare area, including fencing to protect it from deer browsing, was financed through a crowdfunding project on the platform 99 Funken. From 14/11/21 to 04/02/22, the needed donation amount of €22,500 was successfully raised. After preparatory work in March 2022, the planting of the main area was carried out on 02/05/2022 with a mix mainly consisting of sessile oaks, sycamore maples and red alders.

ARTUS GmbH, Company for Fire and Water Damage Restoration, collected an impressive €3,500 in donations for reforestation in the Harz Mountains to mark its 10th anniversary and ceremoniously handed it over at the site on 11 January 2023. The donation is intended to help maintain the area and enable further replanting.