Putting down roots
Neuruppin/Trebbin, 27 September 2021
“Putting down roots” is the motto of a collaboration project in which the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane (MHB) joins a forest regeneration initiative in the state of Brandenburg. The aim is to plant about 200 from a total of 700 trees, primarily oak and robinia, as part of a reforestation project near Großbeuthen/Trebbin. The recently arranged cooperation is scheduled to develop decentralized health-promoting MHB woodlands statewide.
The trees, so MHB president Prof. Hans-Uwe Simon, symbolize MHB graduates of medicine and psychology as well as those who start their studies in the winter term: “In this way, MHB students and graduates literally put down roots in Brandenburg, in keeping with the spirit of our university founders to win new physicians and psychologists for the state of Brandenburg, and quite independent of their future professional and biographical careers.
Climate protection always entails health protection. These tree seedlings will therefore help not only to preserve forests in Brandenburg and increase biodiversity but also to secure and improve physical and mental health.” Analogous to the MHB network of decentralized clinics and teaching practices, the collaboration with the initiative is intended to create a network of health-promoting MHB woodlands distributed over Brandenburg.
Gernot Kleinlein and Marc Paulsen are the local initiators of the scheme involving the purchase of certificates for trees. They welcome the cooperation with the MHB as a partner with similar values and ideas about climate and health protection, the same kind of regional orientation and sustainability objectives. “Our platform was established early in 2020 to support forest owners in sustainable efforts of forest regeneration. Our website offers easy and favourable terms to acquire tree seedlings for a variety of projects. Purchasers receive a certificate with the exact location of the woodland in question and – upon request – individual texts for gift certificates.” Regional projects have been realized in various parts of Brandenburg since April 2020.
A number of other biodiversity projects, such as artificial nesting, insect hotels and biodynamically managed vineyards, have been successfully financed and implemented, always in close consultation with the property owners and with the active assistance of supporters, so Marc Paulsen.
A joint planting session with MHB students and graduates is scheduled to take place next spring, i.e. early in 2022.
For more detailed information on the project see: https://baumgutschein-brandenburg.de/gutschein/walderneuerung-grossbeuthen.
