Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik

The Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik e.V. (KWF) is a German non-profit research institution and registered association dedicated to sustainable, environmentally sound and safe forest management. It was founded in 1962 through the merger of the Technische Zentralstelle der deutschen Forstwirtschaft (TZF) and the Gesellschaft für forstliche Arbeitswissenschaft (GEFFA), and it continues the work of predecessor bodies dating back to 1925/1927. Its head office is in Groß-Umstadt, Hesse. The KWF describes itself as the competence centre for forestry, with around 2,500 members from forestry, forest science, administration and industry. It is institutionally funded in part by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and by the forestry ministries of the federal states. The KWF focuses on applied research and knowledge transfer to ensure the long-term sustainability of forestry. Its thematic priorities include safe forest work, innovative forest technology, environmentally compatible methods and efficiency in the logistics chain. It evaluates equipment, technology and procedures in order to reduce accidents in forest work and to provide practical decision-making aids. It cooperates nationally and internationally with universities, research institutions, forest enterprises, forestry contractors, training centres and industry partners. It also advises policymakers, particularly on legislation concerning forest technology, occupational health and safety, and contributes to the implementation of federal forest policy strategies and concepts such as the Forest Strategy, the Charter for Wood, the Sustainability Strategy and the National Biodiversity Strategy. As the only nationwide and cross-state organisation of its kind in Germany, the KWF and its subsidiary KWF Services GmbH test and certify forest technology, forestry work equipment and personal protective equipment. KWF Services GmbH awards the KWF utility-value marks (KWF-Gebrauchswertzeichen) as well as GS and CE marks. The KWF organises the KWF-Tagung, a major forestry trade fair and conference held every four years, through its subsidiary KWF Expo GmbH. It also stages special shows, exhibitions and forums at other trade fairs. At its headquarters in Groß-Umstadt it hosts specialist forums, seminars, workshops and expert discussions, publishes an annual activity report and issues the member magazine Forsttechnische Informationen (FTI). The KWF has spun off several companies to carry out commercial activities that a non-profit association cannot undertake directly. KWF gGmbH was entered in the commercial register on 4 December 2003 to organise the quadrennial KWF-Tagung with its lecture programme, field excursions and the KWF Expo innovation show; its business transferred to KWF Expo GmbH by register entry on 24 October 2025. NavLog GmbH, registered on 23 November 2006, was founded as a joint project of the German Forestry Council (DFWR) and the German Timber Industry Council (DHWR) under the KWF umbrella to create routable navigation data for forest roads and tracks across ownership and administrative boundaries. KWF Services GmbH, registered on 28 September 2021, is an accredited testing laboratory (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025) and certification body (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065). The KWF and NavLog also supply the nationwide dataset for the free "Hilfe im Wald" app, which displays registered rescue points in forests on a GPS-based map for emergency services.

The Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik e.V. (KWF) was founded in 1962 as a merger of the Technische Zentralstelle der deutschen Forstwirtschaft (TZF) and the Gesellschaft für forstliche Arbeitswissenschaft (GEFFA). It thereby continued the tasks of predecessor institutions whose origins go back to 1925/1927, as well as those of the Zentralstelle für forsttechnische Prüfungen (ZFP) in Potsdam-Bornim, which had been established in parallel after the war. From its foundation the KWF has been the only supra-regional institution of its kind in Germany, acting as the German central office for practice-oriented forest technology tasks of both an applied scientific and a technical-practical nature. The association is registered as a non-profit organisation and has its head office in Groß-Umstadt, Hesse. It has over 2,300 members according to Wikipedia, while the official website states around 2,500 personalities from forestry, forest science, administration and industry are members. The KWF receives institutional funding from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (and, per the German Wikipedia, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity) and from the 13 territorial federal states, excluding the city-states Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg. Because the legal form of a non-profit registered association limits commercial activities, a number of companies have been spun off from the KWF. KWF gGmbH was entered in the commercial register on 4 December 2003 to prepare and organise the KWF-Tagung, held every four years, with its lecture programme, specialist excursions and especially the KWF Expo innovation show. It was primarily responsible for organising the innovation show within the KWF-Tagung and the KWF Thementage. Its business transferred to KWF Expo GmbH by commercial register entry on 24 October 2025. NavLog GmbH (Gesellschaft für Navigations- und Logistikunterstützung in der Forst- und Holzwirtschaft mbH) was registered on 23 November 2006 as a joint project of the Deutscher Forstwirtschaftsrat e.V. (DFWR) and the Deutscher Holzwirtschaftsrat e.V. (DHWR) under the KWF umbrella. Its purpose was to create a routable data basis for navigation on classified forest roads and tracks across ownership and administrative boundaries for a wide range of vehicles. In cooperation with the forestry institutions of the federal states, a database was developed covering more than 560,000 kilometres of forest road and fine access networks with 3.2 million navigation objects and a technical error rate below 1 percent (as of the end of 2025). Navigation solutions based on this data are offered under licence by the companies Logiball and QuoVadis and are used, among others, for timber transport and by disaster protection services (BOS: rescue services, fire brigades, police). KWF Services GmbH was registered on 28 September 2021. It is an accredited testing laboratory (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025), an accredited certification body (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065) and continues to operate in the flexible accreditation area and in practical FPA utility-value testing. It awards the KWF utility-value marks in cooperation with and after practical testing by the responsible specialist committees of the KWF e.V., and operates a number of specialised test rigs, developing them itself when needed. Over the decades the KWF has expanded its activities beyond research and testing into knowledge transfer, events and digital services. It organises the KWF-Tagung every four years through KWF Expo GmbH and stages special shows, exhibitions and forums at other trade fairs. At its Groß-Umstadt headquarters it holds specialist forums, seminars, workshops and expert discussions on current practical forestry topics. It publishes an annual activity report and the member magazine Forsttechnische Informationen (FTI), currently six issues per year in print with a delayed PDF version on its website. Together with NavLog GmbH it supplies the nationwide dataset for the free iOS and Android app "Hilfe im Wald" by Intend Geoinformatik GmbH, which displays uniformly registered rescue points in forests on a GPS-based map; the complete dataset, updated twice a year, is freely available online in various formats. The KWF also offers the free "KWF App" for iOS and Android, containing site plans, exhibitor directories and event information for KWF-Tagungen and KWF-Thementage, as well as information about the KWF and membership.

• 2025

  Business of KWF gGmbH transferred to KWF Expo GmbH by commercial register entry on 24 October 2025.

• 2021

  KWF Services GmbH registered on 28 September 2021 as an accredited testing and certification body.

• 2006

  NavLog GmbH registered on 23 November 2006 as a joint project of DFWR and DHWR under the KWF umbrella.

• 2003

  KWF gGmbH entered in the commercial register on 4 December 2003 to organise the KWF-Tagung and KWF Expo.

• 1962

  KWF founded as a merger of the Technische Zentralstelle der deutschen Forstwirtschaft (TZF) and the Gesellschaft für forstliche Arbeitswissenschaft (GEFFA).

• 1925

  Predecessor institutions of the KWF date back to 1925/1927.

The only nationwide and cross-state organisation in Germany for testing and certifying forest technology, forestry work equipment and protective equipment; a non-profit competence centre for applied forestry research, safety and knowledge transfer.

• KWF utility-value marks (Gebrauchswertzeichen)

  Awarded by KWF Services GmbH in cooperation with the responsible specialist committees for personal protective equipment (PSA), devices and tools, and machines.

• KWF-Tagung with KWF Expo

  A quadrennial forestry conference and trade fair with lecture programme, field excursions and innovation show, organised by KWF Expo GmbH.

• Forsttechnische Informationen (FTI)

  Member magazine published six times a year in print, with a delayed PDF version on the KWF website.

• Hilfe im Wald app dataset

  Nationwide dataset of registered rescue points in forests, provided with NavLog GmbH for the free iOS and Android app by Intend Geoinformatik GmbH.

• KWF App

  Free iOS and Android app with site plans, exhibitor directories and event information for KWF-Tagungen and KWF-Thementage.

1. 1KWF 2030 – .Das Kompetenzzentrum für Forst.kwf2020.kwf-online.de
2. 2Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Kuratorium für Waldarbeit und Forsttechnik – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org