The aim of the Forest Alliance (Wald-Allianz) is to contribute to the development of healthy, sustainable forests in Germany under changing conditions.
The supporters of the project are united by their concern for our forests and their conviction that conventional forestry concepts do not offer a solution to the challenges posed by the current forest crisis. Many forest areas in Germany are in poor condition and are weakened in the face of the effects of man-made climate change. Their natural adaptability suffers from heavy thinning, drainage, and planting. Together, the supporters are therefore campaigning for a forest turnaround.

Forests are often judged based on the individual services they provide. Until now, there has been much talk of >>multifunctional<< forests with ecological, economic, and social functions. The focus is usually on timber use and individual species. But forests are more than the sum of their parts! The Forest Alliance sees them as a complex network – and this understanding explicitly includes the acceptance of not knowing everything. Given the great biodiversity and the extremely complex interlocking of dynamic processes, there is still much to learn about forest ecosystems, especially under the changing conditions resulting from climate change. The project advocates that future forest management should focus above all on disturbing its natural processes as little as possible. Only then can it continue to provide the diverse ecosystem services that form the basis of our lives in the long term.

Positive examples are needed to show that process protection and forest use are not mutually exclusive, but can go hand in hand. Diverse networks make forests particularly resilient and adaptable. Following this example, the Forest Alliance wants to strengthen the network between people who are promoting a rethink in how we treat forests. There are already large numbers of such people – in science, in forestry practice, and also in civil society. By bringing them together, the aim is to increase knowledge about alternative forest management concepts and initiate an open, knowledge-based discourse on how we treat forests.

Partner forests that put the project’s forest development concept into practice are particularly important in this context. Together with local landowners and foresters, the project tests the practical feasibility of new ecological approaches. The result is a >>best-practice<< network for ecosystem-based forest management and a forum for the exchange of practical experience and the latest scientific findings, as well as constructive discussions.