The German state of Lower Saxony sees the IYC campaign as an opportunity to profile forests as fascinating natural habitats and the forestry and wood industry as an important part of the economy.

Lower Saxony is Germany's second-largest federal state in terms of land area. It is home to a number of climatically and geographically diverse natural regions, ranging from the Kaufungen Forest in the South, to the central Harz mountains and Luneburg Heath regions, to the East Frisian-Oldenburg Geest region in the northwest. Pines predominate in the plains, beech in the Weser Uplands, and spruce in the Harz mountains.

The forests of Lower Saxony constitute Germany's best-preserved, large-scale wildlife habitat, home to a rich array of flora and fauna. They protect and filter the region's drinking water; prevent soil erosion; help maintain a well-balanced climate; provide a natural buffer against noise and visual pollution; are important leisure and recreation areas; and produce wood.

Lower Saxony's forests currently produce wood at a faster rate than it is harvested. The state thus has good timber reserves. Demand for wood is, however, rising, owing to an ever-increasing variety of wood uses. While this is desirable, the primary focus must always be to place the various aspects of this kind of multifunctional forest management on a sound ecological footing. This necessitates greater R&D into and promotion of efficiency in wood utilization. Making optimal use of our renewable wood resources also means achieving an optimal interplay between the competing uses of forests, namely for the production of wood materials, energy and heating.

Discover the Lower Saxony forestry industry's innovative technologies, latest R&D projects and public education activities in Pavilion 32.