How does carbon offsetting by planting trees work?
We capture CO2 from the air by planting trees. Mixed forests are the most effective solution for storing CO2 in the long term. They are climate resilient, providing good protection against droughts, storms and diseases. They also promote biodiversity in the region.
Our community has already funded 123 839 trees. We plant mixed forests in Germany. The Federal Forest Act of 1975 provides strong legal protection. In addition, it allows us to offset CO2 in Europe – where our CO2 emissions are generated.
We regularly organize community tree-planting events in the spring and fall, where you’re welcome to drop by and help out. Feel free to sign up for our newsletter to find out when they’ll take place.
What are the benefits of afforestation in Germany with ForTomorrow?
The importance of additionality
Additionality ensures that a carbon offset actually serves climate protection. Only offsetting projects that are directly funded by your donations and complement existing climate protection are working. Example: If a hydropower plant is already self-financing, but still sells climate protection certificates that you can use to offset the carbon emissions, then this is not an additional benefit for climate protection. The power plant would run even without your donation. So it’s not extracting additional CO2 from the air.
To achieve maximum impact, we only do afforestation. This means that on the areas where we plant trees, completely new mixed forests are created. If it weren’t for your support, these new forests would never have grown.
Growing security
For a positive climate impact, trees need to be able to grow long term.. Fresh after reforestation, the tree absorbs very little CO2. The bigger it gets, the more CO2 it takes out of the air. If you plant a tree and it falls victim to a forest fire after a few years it is cleared due to political decisions, the CO2 previously absorbed goes back into the air. That’s why we practice reforestation in Germany.