Bavaria offers grants to plant climate resilient forest trees
Sunday 16th August 2026 on 13:45 in
Bavaria
Bavaria’s forestry ministry is offering grants of nine euros per young tree for private forest owners who plant so-called future trees, BR reported. Owners of small private forests can receive an additional 60 cents per tree, while plantings in protective forests in mountain regions qualify for another three euros.
The most commonly planted species include Turkish hazel, Atlas cedar, Lebanon cedar, Bornmüller fir, Oriental beech and beech from alternative origins. They are considered promising because they are expected to cope better with longer dry periods, higher temperatures and changing rainfall patterns than some native species.
About 400,000 future trees have already been planted across Bavaria. The trees are being grown in trials on around 1,000 sites, where the state forestry administration monitors their growth and records their resistance to extreme weather, pests and diseases. The trials are also intended to identify which combinations of species perform best.
Larger reforestation sites where several species are planted at the same time are particularly common. Under the funding rules, at least 700 euros must be spent on each measure, making the grants more suitable for larger planting projects.
The forestry ministry says the programme is intended to make Bavaria’s forests more resilient and broaden the range of tree species in stable mixed stands. Storms, drought and bark beetle infestations in recent years have shown the need for greater resilience, it said.
Forest owners can find information about the species, planting recommendations and funding requirements on the Bavarian forest owners’ portal.
The environmental group Bund Naturschutz called last week for faster forest conversion in response to increasing forest fires in Bavaria. Its state chairman, Martin Geilhufe, said the state’s forests needed to be adapted much more quickly. According to the group, more than two thirds of Bavaria’s forests still consist of pines and spruces, which are particularly sensitive to heat and cannot withstand temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius.