Stiftung Klimawald

Stiftung Klimawald (Climate Forest Foundation) is a German non-profit civil-law foundation recognized on 6 September 2010 by the Ministry of the Interior of Schleswig-Holstein. Its headquarters are in Aukrug, Schleswig-Holstein. The foundation was founded by Franz Isfort, Alf Jark and Martin Grikschat, and its ambassadors include Arved Fuchs, Mojib Latif, Juliane Rumpf and Tim Scherer. The foundation's purpose is to promote forest development as a means of combating climate change by capturing carbon dioxide through trees. It maintains and protects existing forest areas, educates the public about climate change (particularly in relation to more significant emission obligations), and supports projects for young people and other environmental associations. Operationally, Stiftung Klimawald converts agricultural land into new mixed deciduous forests, called Klimawälder, across Germany. These are Bürgerwälder — citizens' forests — that are freely accessible to everyone and are intended to remain so permanently. The foundation states that 100% of every Klimawald donation goes to forest, and that a donation of 57 euros secures 10 m² of new forest. As of its own reporting, it has established 21 Klimawälder covering more than 82 hectares. A flagship example is Klimawald No. 18 in Bönebüttel (Schleswig-Holstein), planted on 21 March 2026, the International Day of Forests, on nearly two hectares of former farmland at the confluence of the Brammerau and Schwale streams. The Förde Sparkasse covered the full costs of acquisition, creation and 20 years of maintenance; around 200 employees and their families joined foundation volunteers to plant more than 7,500 seedlings. Species include pedunculate oak, hornbeam, winter linden, field elm, alder and ash, with blackthorn, hazel, spindle and elder at the forest edge to support insects. The site is fenced for roughly ten years and includes a self-closing gate for visitors. The foundation also offers gift certificates that turn occasions such as birthdays, weddings and anniversaries into new trees, complete with a certificate. Its smart Klimawälder transmit a new image every day, allowing the public to follow seedlings growing into forest via webcams. The organization is volunteer-supported and operates on a charitable, non-profit basis.

Stiftung Klimawald was recognized on 6 September 2010 by the Ministry of the Interior of Schleswig-Holstein as a civil-law foundation. It was founded by Franz Isfort, Alf Jark and Martin Grikschat, with headquarters in Aukrug, Schleswig-Holstein. The foundation's mission is to promote forest development to combat climate change by capturing carbon dioxide through trees, to maintain and protect existing forest areas, to educate about climate change, and to support youth and environmental projects. Since 2010, the foundation has worked with citizens to convert agricultural land into forests, tree by tree and donation by donation. These Klimawälder are Bürgerwälder — citizens' forests — that remain freely accessible forever. By its own count, the foundation has established 21 Klimawälder covering more than 82 hectares. It states that 100% of every Klimawald donation goes to forest, and that 57 euros secures 10 m² of new forest. A notable expansion occurred in Schleswig-Holstein. Klimawald Mucheln-Sellin was the first in the Kreis Plön, followed by Klimawald No. 18 in Bönebüttel, planted on 21 March 2026 — the International Day of Forests — on nearly two hectares at the confluence of the Brammerau and Schwale. The Förde Sparkasse funded the full cost of acquisition, creation and 20 years of maintenance, and around 200 of its employees with families joined foundation volunteers to plant more than 7,500 seedlings. The Bönebüttel site is the second Klimawald in Kreis Plön and the 15th in Schleswig-Holstein. Species planted include pedunculate oak, hornbeam, winter linden, field elm, alder and ash, with blackthorn, hazel, spindle and elder at the forest edge for insect diversity. A protective fence will be removed after about ten years, and a self-closing gate allows public access. The foundation also offers gift certificates that turn personal occasions into new trees, with a certificate, and operates smart Klimawälder that transmit a daily image so the public can follow growth via webcams. Its ambassadors include Arved Fuchs, Mojib Latif, Juliane Rumpf and Tim Scherer.

• Recognized by the Ministry of the Interior of Schleswig-Holstein as a civil-law foundation.

• Foundation established; begins converting farmland into citizens' forests.

• Klimawald No. 18 planted in Bönebüttel on the International Day of Forests, funded by Förde Sparkasse.

Charitable, volunteer-driven foundation creating permanently accessible citizens' forests in Germany; 100% of Klimawald donations go to forest.

• Klimawald sponsorship

  Donations that convert agricultural land into permanently accessible mixed deciduous forest; 57 euros secures 10 m².

• Forest gift certificate

  Gift certificate with certificate that turns occasions into new trees.

• Smart Klimawald webcams

  Daily images from growing Klimawälder so the public can follow seedlings becoming forest.

1. 1Stiftung Klimawald | Gemeinsam Zukunft pflanzen.stiftung-klimawald.de
2. 2Klimawald Bönebüttel (No. 18) | Stiftung Klimawaldstiftung-klimawald.de
3. 3Stiftung Klimawaldwikidata.org
4. 4Stiftung Klimawaldfr.wikipedia.org