Replacement Afforestation: Obligation, Process and Tree Species

When replacement afforestation becomes necessary

Forest enjoys special protection in Germany. Anyone wishing to clear forest land and convert it to another use needs a conversion permit under the Federal Forest Act (Bundeswaldgesetz) and the relevant state forestry law (Landeswaldgesetz). The authority weighs up the interests involved and requires compensation for the loss of forest functions, usually in the form of replacement afforestation elsewhere.

The process

1. Apply for conversion. The application describes the scope and purpose of the forest conversion.
2. Determine the compensation. The forestry authority sets the scope of the replacement afforestation, often of equal area, and with a higher factor in sensitive locations.
3. Secure the replacement area. A suitable area, permanently available for forest, is secured.
4. Afforest and manage. The new stand is established with site-appropriate species, followed by tending and remedial planting in the first years.

Choosing the right tree species

The focus is on a site-appropriate choice of species, preferably native ones, because only a stand suited to the site is stable and durable. On fresh to moderately dry sites, pedunculate and sessile oak, hornbeam, European beech, small-leaved lime and sycamore have proven successful. In wet lowlands and floodplains, black alder and ash are suitable. Given climate change, mixed, structurally diverse stands with several species are the goal, because they cope better with drought, storms and pests than single-species stands.

Keeping forestry law and nature conservation law separate

Replacement afforestation under forestry law offsets the loss of forest area. This must be distinguished from the impact mitigation regulation under nature conservation law, which assesses the impact on nature and landscape. In principle, afforestation can also be recognised as a compensation measure under nature conservation law, in which case it generates eco-points. It is important to assess both levels cleanly and not to count a measure twice.

How greeNature helps

greeNature secures suitable afforestation sites, plans site-appropriate mixed stands, coordinates the measure with the forestry and nature conservation authorities, and takes care of establishment, management and documentation. This allows project developers to meet their replacement afforestation obligation with legal certainty and without their own effort.