Waldfreunde GmbH & Co. KG

About us

We are a group of friends and acquaintances who buy forest land together and develop it over the long term. No corporation, no fund — a project that grows.

Background

Why Waldfreunde?

The idea didn't begin at a desk. We saw what was happening to forests — and decided to buy some ourselves.

Almost a third of German forests are now classified as significantly damaged. Bark beetle infestations, drought stress, windfall — the visible symptoms of a structural problem: decades of forestry that prioritised yield over ecology. Spruce monocultures that collapse in drought. Compacted soils. Stands without diversity, without resilience.

We believe it is possible to do better: buy land, develop it according to proven, ecologically grounded principles — and still think economically. Forest as a long-term community, not a supply chain. The Lübeck Model has demonstrated this for decades.

By the numbers

What we have built so far

Forest area

across three sites in northern Germany

Sites

Stockelsdorf · Kirch-Jesar · Alt-Zachun/Hoort

Minimum participation

as a limited partner — one-off, long-term

First site acquired

continuous expansion since

Context

Global Climate Change

The 2023 German Forest Condition Report reveals that over 80% of German forests show significant damage. Heatwaves and prolonged drought hit spruce and pine hardest — tree species that were planted because they grow fast and harvest easily, but that are not native to many of the sites they now occupy.

What looked profitable turns out to be fragile. Monocultures have no resilience. When one species comes under stress, there is no other to take its place. Beetles thrive in weakened stands. Wind clears entire slopes where mixed forest would have held.

"A forest made of only one tree species isn't a forest. It's a factory."

Knut Sturm, forester — the model for the Lübeck approach

Nature-based forestry isn't romantic. It is an ecologically and economically superior strategy — if you extend the time horizon far enough. Mixed-species forests are more resilient, produce high-quality timber over generations, and fulfil climate, water and amenity functions along the way. That is what we are working towards.

Forestry model

The Lübeck Model

Lübeck's city forest has been managed under the principles of continuous cover forestry since the 1990s — today it is Germany's most-cited example of forestry that works both ecologically and economically.

The four principles

  1. Continuous cover

    No clearcuts. Individual trees or small groups are removed; the area is never completely cleared. This preserves soil structure, microclimate and natural regeneration.

  2. Natural regeneration

    What grows on site is encouraged. Seedlings are introduced only supplementarily — and then using locally sourced, site-appropriate seed.

  3. Mixed forest

    Structural richness is the goal: mixed species, mixed ages, mixed heights. Forest as a complex system, not simplified production.

  4. Deadwood retention

    Standing and lying deadwood stays in the stand. It provides habitat for insects, fungi and cavity-nesting birds — and feeds humus formation over time.

What we don't do

  • No clearcuts
  • No mineral fertilisers
  • No chemical pesticides
  • No spruce monocultures
  • No heavy machinery on wet soils
  • No externally dictated species selection

Case Study

A forest that grows with us.

HPM Handwerksgruppe Philip Mecklenburg joined the Waldfreunde GmbH & Co. KG in 2024. For every year of service of each employee, one square metre of forest was acquired. That came to 36,359 m² — more than five football pitches, around 10,200 trees.

The model transfers. Any company that wants to connect years of service, anniversaries or CSRD targets to a tangible nature project can follow the same approach: one square metre per employee per year of service — or any other key that fits the company's culture. The land is real, the forest grows, the connection is made.

HPM participation

forest area acquired

Trees

from natural regeneration

Football pitches

equivalent area

Model: 1 m² per employee per year of service

in partnership with

HPM Handwerksgruppe Philip Mecklenburg

Who we are

The people behind Waldfreunde

Dr. Matthias v. Bodecker

Geschäftsführer und Gründer

Dr. Matthias v. Bodecker ist Initiator und Geschäftsführer der Waldfreunde GmbH & Co. KG. Er hat das Konzept entwickelt, die ersten Waldflächen erworben und das waldbauliche Programm gemeinsam mit Knut Sturm, dem früheren Forstamtsleiter des Lübecker Stadtwaldes, aufgestellt. Sein Ziel ist es, ökologisch sinnvolle Waldentwicklung und eine langfristig werthaltige Investition für Kommanditisten zu verbinden.

„Eine Investition für einen zukunftsfähigen Wald, die auch ökonomisch sinnvoll sein soll."

{TODO Sebi: Name}

Privatinvestorin

{TODO Sebi: Bio liefern – 60–120 Wörter, dritte Person, sachlich. Hinweis: Diese Gesellschafterin ist seit der ersten Kapitalerhöhung beteiligt und hat persönlichen Bezug zur Region Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.}

„{TODO Sebi: Zitat liefern – 1–2 Sätze, aus persönlicher Motivation für die Beteiligung.}"

{TODO Sebi: Name}

Unternehmer

{TODO Sebi: Bio liefern – 60–120 Wörter, dritte Person, sachlich. Hinweis: Dieser Gesellschafter ist Inhaber eines mittelständischen Unternehmens und hat sich aus Impact-Investing-Motiven beteiligt. Sein Unternehmen hat ebenfalls einen Aktionstag in Kirch-Jesar durchgeführt.}

„{TODO Sebi: Zitat liefern – 1–2 Sätze, Verbindung zwischen unternehmerischer und ökologischer Verantwortung.}"

{TODO Sebi: Name}

Privatinvestor

{TODO Sebi: Bio liefern – 60–120 Wörter, dritte Person, sachlich. Hinweis: Dieser Gesellschafter hat einen Finanzierungshintergrund und schätzt die Sachwertqualität der Waldinvestition als langfristige Anlage im Kontext seiner Vermögensplanung.}

„{TODO Sebi: Zitat liefern – 1–2 Sätze, zur langfristigen Perspektive der Beteiligung.}"

{TODO Sebi: Name}

Unternehmerin

{TODO Sebi: Bio liefern – 60–120 Wörter, dritte Person, sachlich. Hinweis: Diese Gesellschafterin leitet ein Unternehmen mit CSRD-Berichtspflicht und sieht die Waldbeteiligung als konkrete Maßnahme zur Verbesserung der ökologischen Bilanz ihres Unternehmens.}

„{TODO Sebi: Zitat liefern – 1–2 Sätze, zur Verbindung von unternehmerischer Verantwortung und Natur.}"