Protect nature with lavera

One of the planting areas is located in Lower Saxony, about 25 km from our company headquarters between Nordstemmen and Marienburg. Here, lavera has planted around 10,000 deciduous trees. The old, naturally grown tree population shows many dead forest areas in several places, which have been caused since 2018 by storms, strong sunlight, and extreme drought.

Storms, drought, and bark beetle infestations have caused significant forest damage on Benther Berg. According to the Benther Berg Forest Management Association, about 5% of the forest area has died over the past three years. Almost all spruce forests were destroyed by the bark beetle – including the two 3-hectare areas on the west slope near Northen and Everloh.

This is where lavera steps in: We have planted 18,000 climate-resistant trees – European beeches, pedunculate oaks, and sweet chestnuts from certified forestry, which better withstand storms and drought. At the forest edge, cherry, wild apple, and wild pear trees are also growing to increase biodiversity. This is especially good news for the endangered bee species.

At Stemmer Berg lies a special forest – a green refuge owned by 30 people together. But on 4.9 hectares of forest area, the bark beetle left a very large gap: 3.5 hectares had to be cleared. For the Stemmen forestry community, reforestation alone was not manageable.

This is where lavera came into play. With our forest project, we supported the community in bringing this important habitat back to life. Because this forest is so much more than just trees – it is both a natural windbreak and a green lung.

In two years, 6500 new trees were planted: climate-resistant trees such as sessile oaks, red oaks, Norway maples, European elms, and hornbeams. At the forest edge, sweet chestnuts and wild cherries thrive. Together with natural regeneration, a forest of the future is growing here. And because true care doesn’t end after one year, we are also taking over maintenance measures for two more years.

Years of drought and bark beetle infestation have severely affected Austrian forests. Especially the vulnerable spruce stands had to be cleared on a large scale – including in the Waldviertel near Göpfritz in Lower Austria.

This is where we come in: Together with LifeTerra, Wald4Leben, and enthusiastic students from Göpfritz/Wild, we have planted 500 climate-resistant trees. It is our first reforestation project in Austria and an important step towards resilient forests in the Alpine region.

Right in the heart of the popular Tyrolean mountains, lavera supports the largest and oldest nature park in Austria, the Naturpark Karwendel, which carries out valuable work in the areas of nature conservation, recreation & tourism, environmental education, as well as knowledge & research.

Since 2023, lavera has already supported 30 alpine pasture maintenance measures: Without support, the alpine pasture owners would not be able to preserve these important natural-cultural areas and were therefore included in the Karwendel Nature Park’s alpine pasture maintenance program. Volunteers, under the guidance of the Karwendel Park team, clear the pastures of rockfall and wild shrub growth, repair fences, clean water bodies, or gather hay on the mowed areas.

We care not only about current actions in favor of nature but also about raising awareness of these issues. Therefore, with the help of the lavera forest project, two nature rangers have also been trained.

In the park of Villa Annoni near Milan, we experienced a special day: 51 students enthusiastically joined their teachers, the mayor, and park association representatives to plant over 700 trees and shrubs together. With each new plant, they helped preserve this beautiful 18th-century neoclassical park through climate-adapted planting. And the best part: Through Life Terra, the children playfully learned everything about nature and climate change – knowledge and a new love for nature that will stay with them for life.

In Franciacorta, the picturesque wine region of Italy, 15 nature lovers with heart and hand were involved: wine workers, an ecologist, and an agronomist together transformed an agricultural area into a blooming natural paradise. 543 trees and flowering shrubs found their new home here. This creates a vibrant place full of biodiversity right in the middle of the wine region – for a future where nature and viticulture go hand in hand.

In Lomellina, we experienced a wonderful day: lavera supported a tree planting campaign where students and teachers from two elementary school classes at Leonardo Da Vinci School and De Amicis School in Voghera enthusiastically planted new trees. The beaming faces of the children as they planted their very first trees showed us: Here, not only a forest is growing – here grows a generation that loves and protects our nature. Together with LifeTerra, we are sowing hope for a greener future.