Sustainability is one of the topics at Travemünde Week. By participating in a tree-planting initiative with the Schleswig-Holstein state forestry commission in a wooded area on Taschensee near Haffkrug, the Travemünde Week organisers have implemented a further measure to improve their own impact on nature.
Avoiding rubbish, reducing energy consumption and conserving resources have been part of the organisational work for years. The ban on disposable plastic tableware, the increased use of e-mobility on land and on the water, and the largely paperless organisation are just a few examples of how the Travemünde Week has prepared for the challenges of the future in recent years.
Since 2023, the regatta and festival week has also been documenting its progress in the creation of a sustainability report that not only highlights the measures taken, but also shows further potential for conserving resources. In order to move towards climate neutrality, further ideas are being developed and implemented. The first sustainability report, covering the extensive work on sustainability – not only in terms of the environment, but also in the social and economic fields – was presented in autumn 2024.
One of the measures that has now been visibly implemented is the offsetting of the carbon footprint. During the Travemünde Week, guests and participants were called upon to offset their travel to the event by purchasing Norway maple seedlings. In addition, Travemünde Week itself committed to offsetting its fuel consumption of motorboats by supporting the planting of trees by the Schleswig-Holstein state forestry service.
The campaign resulted in the purchase of 1,036 tree seedlings. These were planted at the beginning of December in the forest near Taschensee, near Haffkrug, together with 4,000 other saplings. District forester Karsten Tybussek explained the importance of planting in the existing forest to TW managing director Frank Schärffe and TW project manager Birgit Stamp-Oehme.
The forest has been severely affected by bark beetle infestation due to climate change. Some of the spruces have already lost their greenery, others will lose their needles in the future. ‘The spruce population is disintegrating. Climate change is having a much worse effect than feared,’ reported Tybussek. New plantings must be carried out now before the spruce trees disappear completely and the forest loses its protective shade for young plants.
This is because in summer the sun can reach temperatures of up to 40° Celsius in an open space, but only 25° Celsius in the forest shade. This promotes the growth of new plantings. Norway maple saplings were selected for the so-called advance planting, which is intended to transform the forest into a climate-tolerant mixed forest stand. ‘To make the forest more resistant to external influences, such as fungal infection, at least eight tree species should grow in it,’ says Tybussek.
The Norway maple was chosen for the current planting because it grows quickly in the early stages and then slows its growth in later years. This also makes it more resistant to browsing damage from deer, as the tasty buds are at too great a height.
For this reason, young Norway maples with a height of 80 to 120 centimetres are also planted from a tree nursery near Kiel: ‘The seedlings are of very good quality. When planting, it is important to use trees from the local region. This is because their genetics are already adapted to the climatic conditions prevailing here,’ said Karsten Tybussek.
In the preparatory work for the planting, the scraper excavator was used in the forest. It dug furrows in the blackberry cover of the forest floor and worked its way through to the mineral soil, where the seedlings will find the best soil quality for growing. After digging the planting holes, Birgit Stamp-Oehme and Frank Schärffe also pitched in themselves and planted some young Norway maple trees.
‘A great campaign. We were able to learn here from Mr Tybussek how important pre-cultivation is for the preservation of the forest. This made it possible to directly experience that the CO2 compensation that comes with the purchase of the seedlings really does benefit climate protection,’ said Birgit Stamp-Oehme. And Frank Schärffe added: ‘We will continue the campaign and would be delighted if as many participants and guests as possible would take part by purchasing one or more seedlings. In the coming years, appropriate advance plantings will be necessary in many forest areas.’
Participating in the CO2 compensation of the TW is quite simple. On the website there is a link to the campaign. A seedling can already be purchased for 3 euros.
Caption:
Birgit Stamp-Oehme and Frank Schärffe energetically helped to plant the pointed maple seedlings. Photo: Travemünder Woche
