New shine for the Forest Botanical Garden: Sustainable future in Göttingen!

New shine for the Forest Botanical Garden: Sustainable future in Göttingen!

The Forest Botanical Garden of the University of Göttingen plays a central role in promoting environmental education and research. It is picturesquely located on the eastern edge of the north campus and is now equipped with a generous funding commitment of 675,000 euros from the Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation. This funding will be provided over five years and is intended to help increase tree diversity and visitor numbers.

Dr. Fabian Brambach, the garden's new curator, has big plans: "I want to make the garden better known and attract more people." The comprehensive woody collection of over 2,000 species is not only a highlight for plant lovers, but also a valuable resource center for research and teaching. Over 1,500 species can be found here, with the garden housing one of the largest collections of woody plants in the German-speaking region.

Attractive innovations and events

From 2026 there will be an exciting program of events with guided tours, readings and concerts. In order to increase the attractiveness for visitors, an app is also being developed and information boards are being installed. These measures are intended to significantly improve the easy accessibility and public relations of the garden. This turns the garden into a showcase that shows the diversity of trees and their importance for the environment.

The garden's phytogeographic arboretum extends over the entire 40 hectare area and presents trees from various cool-temperate climate zones from North America, Japan, China, Korea and the Caucasus. “These collections are not only important for teaching, but also have a great benefit for nature conservation,” explains Prof. Holger Kreft, the scientific director of the Forest Botanical Garden.

Commitment to biodiversity and climate protection

The importance of the Forest Botanical Garden as a nature conservation and research facility is also reflected in its collaboration with international botanical gardens. This way The garden is closely based on the convention for the protection of biological diversity adopted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and maintains contacts with over 350 botanical gardens worldwide. By collecting seeds, not only native but also exotic tree and shrub species are protected and researched.

The Eva Mayr-Stihl Foundation not only invests in the forest botanical garden. The establishment of a competence center for landscape resilience at the Faculty of Forestry and Forest Ecology at the University of Göttingen will also receive funding of around 2 million euros. This supports research into the adaptation of forest and agricultural areas to climate-related changes, which is particularly important in times of climate change the foundation emphasized. Robert Mayr, CEO of the foundation, sees this as an essential contribution to strengthening forestry sciences.

The Forest Botanical Garden will continue to address the challenges of climate change with new concepts and remain a place for recreation and education. A particularly beautiful viewing point in the upper part of the garden offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy breathtaking sunsets while fully experiencing the diversity of nature.