05.06.2024

On the morning of 27 May 2024, when the Lignovis trailer loaded with organic poplar planting rods of the Bakan and Skado varieties came to a halt at the edge of the field near Grumbach, it didn't take long for the planting material to be placed in the loosened soil of the two narrow and 1 km long field strips. Both areas are leased from the Johannishöhe farm in Tharandt by the parish of Grumbach with the aim of bringing more (woody) structure to the wind-exposed agricultural landscape on the outskirts of Dresden. The two double-rowed poplar strips are to provide material for the farm's wood heating system. But first they have to grow well. Other structures, such as shrub-like vegetation and hedges, and further product value creation are already being planned and will gradually supplement and enrich the system.

‘We think that agroforestry can also be used to adapt to climate change to a certain extent. On the one hand, we have trees that provide shade, and we also have synergies between the individual plants, and we also generate an additional harvest from the wood,’ says Jens Heinze from Johannishöhe Tharandt. There are plans to monitor the microclimatic effects of the structures on the soil and the neighbouring watercourse.