Pina Earth x Boscor Group
Maximilian von Rotenhan is one of the two managing directors of the Boscor Group. His family has been working with the Reitzenstein family for over 40 years to promote sustainable agriculture and forestry. At Pina Earth, we are delighted to have been working with the Boscor Group for over a year now. We took this as an opportunity to give an insight into sustainable forest conversion and the cooperation with Pina Earth in a joint interview with Mr. von Rotenhan.
Mr. von Rotenhan, we are delighted to be talking to you. Can you start by briefly introducing yourself and your role?
With pleasure. My name is Max Rotenhan, I am a managing partner in the Boscor Group, responsible for forestry and forestry management. I have been doing this for 15 years in the family business we founded, in which we make the know-how we have built up over decades - or rather centuries - available to forest owners.
What exactly does the Boscor Group do?
The Boscor Group is a service provider in land management. In fact, we are the largest land manager in Germany. Our mission is to ensure that our forest owners can harvest sustainable yields. Our focus is on wanting to use both agriculture and forestry economically. And to do so sustainably. Sustainability always sounds a bit dry because it's said everywhere, but the term sustainability actually comes from land management. However, sustainable can mean something different than what is perhaps understood by always doing the same thing. If you come from a certain scenario, it can also mean: Now it is more important to use quickly in order to remain sustainable, and then you use the forest more slowly again. Sustainable means that we ensure that the soil or land we manage always remains manageable as such. First of all, that says nothing about the quantity.
Your website states that you manage forests according to the principles of natural forestry. Could you explain in more detail what that means?
Nature-based forestry can be understood through various measures. In simple terms, it means that we continuously maintain the forest and constantly produce wood. That is basically the result. However, this process is combined with natural methods. We approach the individual tree and work with different tree species appropriate to the location. We pay attention to the soil and strive to create structures that are not too uniform, both horizontally and vertically. We try to focus on natural regeneration rather than planting. These are probably the main issues.
Why is it important to implement these measures?
Historically, we come from a situation in Germany in which the age-class forest was predominant. This means that we always worked with one tree species and the entire area had the same age, while the next area had a different age. It was discovered that this approach was not very useful, as these forests have a higher risk compared to naturally managed forests. That is why we have moved back towards natural management, using natural processes to produce a product, namely wood.
Boscor describes this process as the Boscor forest conversion scenario. Can you explain this in more detail in light of what we have discussed? How exactly is this implemented?
The factor that is driving us the most is climate change. The whole issue of forest conversion must progress faster than we think. In Germany, we are moving from age-class forest management. In colloquial terms, we are changing from a monoculture approach to a mixed forest. Of course, this happens at different times. The forest grows slowly or quickly, depending on how you feel about it. But there are certain periods in which you can change the forest. In an age-class forest, it is not the case that you cut it down all at once and then say: "Now we are practicing natural forestry." Instead, you try to create a transition. You give the forest time, remove quantities and grow the next tree species in the meantime. In the best-case scenario, over a period of 25-50 years, this existing age-class forest can be transformed into a new, naturally managed forest. Today, due to climate change, this has to happen much more quickly because the stands are being degraded much faster than one would like. On the other hand, care must then be taken to ensure that tree species appropriate to the location are introduced into the area.
How does Pina Earth come into play here and what does the collaboration between the Boscor Group and Pina Earth look like?
The collaboration includes the implementation of the forest conversion method developed by Pina Earth. The Pina Earth method provides forest owners with guidelines on how forest conversion should be implemented. There is a contract that shows that moreCO2 isstored under a certain forest conversion scenario than is the case under conventional management. The forest owner must guarantee this within the project duration. This gives him a certain motivation to actually tackle the forest conversion. The aim of the forest conversion scenario is to first reduce the stand - perhaps a little faster than one would naturally do - and replace it with a stand that grows faster overall and thus stores moreCO2. The interesting thing about the collaboration with Pina Earth is that something profitable in terms ofCO2 storage also brings something profitable for the forest owner.
What is your conclusion after a year of working with Pina Earth and how do you see the future?
I am positive about the future because I have come to know Pina as a very fact-based, serious young company with strong content that focuses on the meaningfulness of its project rather than on pure profitability, which is perhaps often the main focus today. I have the feeling that concepts are being created here that are intended to have a long-term impact and bring about change, rather than just implementing a business idea in the short term to somehow make a profit.
The collaboration is pleasant. I mainly work with Florian, which works extremely well. We exchange ideas quickly and I'm looking forward to other projects that we can tackle together.
Dr. Christine Rzepka has been Marketing & Communications Lead at Pina Earth since 2023. In her articles, she shares recommendations and practical insights on credible sustainability communication and provides insights into Pina Earth's technology-based approach to regional climate protection. Before joining Pina Earth, she worked in other start-ups in the FinTech and EdTech space, in technology consulting and in academia as part of her PhD in Information Systems.
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