Planting trees against climate change – Audi Foundation supports research of oak forest

36,000 oaks have been planted. En masse, they form an experimental investigation that is unique in Germany. In collaboration with the Bayerischen Staatsforsten (Bavarian State Forest Commission) and the Lehrstuhl für Waldwachstumskunde (Chair of Forest Growth and Yield Science) at the Technical University of Munich, Audi has created the research project “CO2-Speicher Eichenwald” (Oak Forest CO2 Storage).

• Technical University of Munich, Bayerischen Staatsforsten (Bavarian State Forest Commission)

The second test area for the overall project was established in November 2009 with the planting of more than 13,000 oak saplings. A non-agricultural meadow area in a River Danube floodplain, located 15 km to the north of Győr, near the border with Slovakia, was selected as the location. The area of about four hectares is provided by the state forest company and has been taken out of use.

The costs incurred in the creation of the test area were met by AUDI AG and Audi Hungary. The new forested area will be available for the project for 100 years and is maintained by the regional forestry authority. 
The test area at Győr is part of the network of areas for investigating the productivity and biodiversity of oak forests that are laid out along a climate gradient. In the Győr area, the oak, which stores a great deal of carbon when fully grown and provides biodiversity and therefore biological diversity, is also one of the most suitable tree species.

The third test area for the overall project was established in November 2010 with the planting of more than 10,000 English oak saplings. The research area is situated in a forested area near the town of Beilstein, which is to the southeast of Neckarsulm. The area, which was previously used for agriculture, is completely surrounded by mixed forest and is part of what is known as the Beilstein Municipal Forest, one of the largest municipal forests in Baden-Württemberg and the heart of the city for Beilstein citizens. About five of the seven hectares acreage provided by the town of Beilstein, have been reforested. The rest of the area will be developed for rough pasture in the long term. The costs incurred in the creation of the test area were met by AUDI AG.

The now fourth test area for the overall project was established in April 2011 with the planting of more than 16,000 oak saplings.

An area in the hilly landscape of Tarjánpuszta, 25 kilometers from Győr, was selected as the location for the second Hungarian test area. The site has an area of approximately four hectares. The costs incurred in the creation of the test area were met by AUDI AG and Audi Hungary. The new forested area will be available for the project for 100 years and is maintained by the regional forestry authority.

The test area at Győr is part of the network of areas used for investigating the productivity and biodiversity of oak forests that are laid out along a climate gradient. In the Győr area, the oak, which stores a great deal of carbon when fully grown and provides biodiversity and therefore biological diversity, is also one of the most suitable tree species.

This now fifth test area for the overall project was established at the start of 2011 with the planting of 10,000 oak saplings.

A formerly agricultural area was selected as the location for the Italian test area. The implementation of parallel projects in collaboration with the community and the university is also planned. A gym and a nature trail, intended mainly for schools, with native tree species and a humid biotope were integrated into the emerging forest area, in order to introduce children and teenagers to their environment. The resulting park has an area of about seven hectares. 

The costs incurred in the creation of the test area were met by Lamborghini as a 100% subsidiary of AUDI AG. The area will be available for the project for 70 years and is maintained by the municipal administration together with the universities.

The sixth test area for the overall project was established at the start of 2012 with the planting of 10,000 oak saplings.

The Forêt de Soignes (Sonian Forest) research location is situated in La Hulpe Park. The test area covers approximately four and a half hectares in total. The costs incurred in the creation of the test area were met by the Audi Brussels site. The area is provided by Wallonia and is maintained by the Department for Nature and Forests (Departement de la Nature et des Forets) together with the universities.

The test area in La Hulpe Park near Brussels is part of the network of areas set up for investigating the productivity and biodiversity of oak forests that are laid out along a climate gradient. In the Brussels area, the oak, which stores a great deal of carbon when fully grown and provides biodiversity and therefore biological diversity, is also one of the most suitable tree species.

In the autumn of 2014, employees of the Chair of Forest Growth and Yield Science at the Technical University of Munich and employees of the local forestry administration created another Nelder test area in a forest area (Flor del Bosque Park) to the south of the city of Puebla in Mexico. This area comprises two Nelder wheels and smaller circle segments. The plants in the Nelder wheels were arranged in the same planting system that was already used on the existing areas. 

The local tree species Quercus rugosa NEE. (netleaf oak) was used as the tree species. The test area represents a useful extension of the location gradient, which has been covered so far by the areas in Europe.