Sustainability

PLANTING TREES on the shores of Lake Spitzing

July 2022

As of this year, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG is officially a zero-emissions company. Our partnership with Climate Partner has enabled us to reach this goal (see “Sustainability in our company”).

We offset our carbon emissions via several climate projects, among them “Combined project regional tree planting”. It is in this context that Climate Partner has invited us to a number of tree planting efforts in Germany.

A long-term colleague from our Keferloh/Grasbrunn office accepted the invitation and went to the shores of Lake Spitzing to make an active contribution to climate protection.

“Mr Simon Tangerding and Mr Paul Killguss from the German environmental organisation Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald explained in a short introduction why 3-year-old European silver fir saplings with a height of about 30 cm were to be planted in an existing forest. The purpose was to rejuvenate the forest, to make it resilient against storms and snow and to prevent its becoming too dry in summer.

We were told how to use our spades and plant the saplings and planted a total of 300 small fir trees. The trees will now grow for 60 – 80 years until they reach their final height. However, Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald estimates that about 20% of the saplings will not reach that age.”

After this experience, we can safely say that one conviction has taken firm root in our company: we want to continue our sustainable engagement!

Planting Trees near Garmisch-Partenkirchen

UPDATE JUNI 2021

In October 2020, two of our colleagues participated in a ClimatePartner project and planted trees near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in order to make an active contribution to climate protection in Bavaria.

In June 2021, one of them returned for a visit to the site to see how the young trees had done in the meantime. They have developed new shoots and are growing nicely. It seems that the Tabasco-based repellent used on the trees before planting is effectively keeping deer from eating the young plants. Chances are good that about 90% of the newly planted trees survive the first ten years.

We intend to organise more events for our employees to enable them to contribute actively to climate protection – and we will keep you informed about our efforts, of course.

PLANTING TREES NEAR GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

Back in October, Climate Partner, our partner for carbon offset projects, invited us to plant trees near Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Bavaria).

We wanted to experience the impact of climate change in person; in fact, the huge challenges (Bavarian) foresters face are quite sobering.

Wolfgang Striegel, forest district manager for Partenkirchen, and Simon Tangerding, managing director of Schutzgemeinschaft deutscher Wald (“society for the protection of the German forest”, SDW), explained to us why the Bavarian state forests alone generated losses of EUR 80 million during the past year and would be bankrupt without the steady financial support by the federal state of Bavaria. Climate change (storms, dry soil) increases the amount of fallen timber, which causes expenses of EUR 60 per sqm, whereas the related income amounts only to EUR 30 per sqm.

One reason for the high expenses is that is impossible to build regular paths, which is why it is often necessary to use ropes to remove the wood. Moreover, damaged areas of the forest are often infested by weeds, which make it difficult for young trees to take root.

Simon Tangerding underlined that the situation of the German forests was really quite dramatic. He said that society urgently needed to understand the necessity of adapting the forests to climate change and to recognise the value of woodlands. According to Tangerding, corporate initiatives can play a key role in this effort.

Following a short introductory training by a forest officer, we were allowed to start working. PLANTING TREES ... Overall, we planted more than 80 young fir trees which had been painted with a Tabasco-based repellent to keep deer from eating the young plants. About 90% of the saplings are expected to survive the first ten years.

After this experience, we can safely say that one conviction has taken firm root in our company: we want to continue our SUSTAINABLE engagement!