Riding public transport for the forest: VMT campaign sets a sustainable example

Press release of the Verkehrsverbund Mittelth         

On Monday, 20.11.2023, a special campaign by the Central Thuringia Transport Association (VMT) came to an end at Saalfelder Höhe. Together with the Minister for Infrastructure & Agriculture, Susanna Karawanskij, and ThüringenForst, Verkehrsverbund Mittelthüringen (VMT) set an example for sustainable mobility and environmental protection by planting 741 trees for the heavily damaged forest in Thüringen. Minister Susanna Karawanskij, VMT Managing Director Christoph Heuing and Mr. Jörn Ripken, CEO of ThüringenForst AöR were on site to get to work together.

It all started with the second Thüringen Car Fast, an initiative that calls on people to be more aware of their mobility during Lent. The desire of the VMT to participate this year with a particularly sustainable offer resulted in a cooperation with ThüringenForst. This resulted in the campaign with the slogan "Do something twice for the environment", which persuaded many Thuringians to leave their cars at home during Lent: From 22.02.2023 to 08.04.2023, FAIRTIQ users in the VMT had the opportunity to collect Bäume by traveling by ÖPNV. Every 25th journey with the FAIRTIQ app meant a collected tree. 

The response from the FAIRTIQ tree-planting community exceeded the VMT's expectations. In total, over 2,000 people registered for the tree collection campaign and together made more than 18,000 journeys with the FAIRTIQ app. By the end of Lent, 741 trees had been collected. Christoph Heuing, Managing Director of VMT, emphasized: "We are delighted that so many participants diligently collected trees during Lent and that we can now make a contribution to reforestation here on the Saalfelder Höhe.

The importance of protecting the environment and the climate is becoming increasingly clear. The forest in Thuringia in particular suffered from the dry year 2022. It was therefore quickly clear to the transport companies in the VMT that they wanted to play their part in revitalizing it. I would like to thank the VMT for taking the initiative. After all, we need to consistently think about transportation transition and forest protection together. The forest is suffering from the consequences of climate change and public transport is the best way to protect the climate. The state government is investing heavily in reforesting the degraded forest areas with a rich variety of species. And we need more funding for the expansion of public transport. Both are urgent investments in climate protection and a good future for all Thuringians," says Minister Karawanskij.  

The area on the Saalfelderhöhe, more precisely on the Mühlberg, has been unwooded for two years; previously, spruce trees stood close together here. Warmer temperatures and less rainfall made the spruce trees more vulnerable to the bark cutter, which was hard at work. The formerly densely overgrown slope has become a wasteland. In order to reforest it sustainably, Norway maple, aspen, Douglas fir and larch in particular were planted today, as well as dog roses. The different tree species are intended to enhance the forest composition and create a climate-stable forest. The VMT planting campaign helps to accelerate the reforestation of damaged areas and support forest conversion. Climate-stable forests are forests of the future. The planting campaign also underlines the special emotional bond that many Thüringen residents have with "their" forest", says Jörn Ripken, CEO of ThüringenForst AöR.

With combined forces, 741 trees were therefore planted today. Today's tree planting thus marks not only the end of a successful campaign, but also the beginning of a great future for the Saalfelder Höhe.