«The Forest»

The idea for this endeavour has been brewing for more than 20 years at this point: Back then I, with the help of my family and many other volunteers, planted a little forest in my small hometown of Breitenworbis. My father who was the head of the local forestry department at the time set out with his spade as a role model and taught my brother Michael and me everything we needed to know to understand this complex ecosystem. Just as lectures by parents tend to be they were annoying at times but today, in a time where this knowledge is more valuable and important than ever, I am very thankful for receiving them. We grew up playing in the forests of the Thuringian hinterlands, in Germany's proverbial "green heart". Sadly this "green heart" is, as are uncountable other forests around the world, in a dire state: Storms, pests, droughts and foremost we humans overburden Mother Nature – and I am certainly no exception: Many flights to concerts in far away places as well as racking up thousands of kilometers in my car to reach those venues where there is no need to fly: We are trying our best to minimize our impact, optimize how we get around and redefine the meaning of our "cultural mission" every day. Long story short: According to studies there is almost nothing as effective as a forest to combat catastrophic climate change. I was able to put enough money aside that I was able to purchase the first pieces of land right here in the region. Under my lead and with the help of many volunteer hands we started to plant the first 3000 young trees on this piece of land. In the future not only thousands of trees should grow but also the piece of land it stands on. I am immensely grateful to be able to realize such a project through my music – you are the ones that make this possible and are an inherent part of it already. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Facts

Location: South Thuringia, Germany Size: 2,5 Ha (25.000 square meters) Species of trees: sweet chestnut, red oak, maple, beech, douglas fir, nut species. Number of trees planted: 4000+

The crew from the last action. Thank you guys!

The Newsletter

All background information about the forest project, why I am doing it, how we are realizing it and much more will be published in my newsletter in the future. I appreciate everyone who is interested in it. Subscribe here:

Press

There is a lovely feature about the project on nbhap.com