Bringing mature trees into Berlin’s newest green workspace (video included)

Almost 3,200 trees were planted in the streets of Berlin alone last year. In addition, there are numerous trees in parks and on private property. As good as that sounds: Young trees planted today will only contribute to a better urban climate in later years. They literally have to grow into their job first. For our DSTRCT.Berlin it was therefore clear: Instead of planting small young trees, we would rather plant ones that have already grown. Come next summer, they immediately provide cool shade.

A precious 8-tonne cargo

And how exciting the planting was: We needed a special crane that can carry enormous loads – each of our trees weighs around 8 tons! In addition, the crane had to reach an enormous lifting height: The trees were intended for the inner courtyards and had to be manoeuvred in vertically from the outside. You can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when this weight suddenly hangs over the building that we have all put so much heart and soul into.

On top of that, unfortunately, gusts of wind were to be expected on the day of planting. In our video (below) you can already see how the wind tugs at the branches and leaves until we finally arrive in the sheltered courtyard. Of course, we constantly monitored the weather and the ongoing forecast and, to be on the safe side, we did not use the last tree, but planned a new date for this one.

We love hornbeams

By the way, we have chosen hornbeams. Reasons: They are native to this area and are considered sturdy. They’re beautiful, too, of course. In addition, deciduous trees generally store CO2 better than conifers. If we use beech for comparison, although it is explicitly a different tree species, it shows: A single tree standing 20 metres tall with a trunk diameter of 20 centimetres (measured at the height of a person’s chest) draws up to 800 kilograms of CO2 from the atmosphere. This is twice as much as, for example, a spruce of the same dimensions.

And 20 meters isn’t the end of the line. If the beech grows another five metres and gains further in trunk girth, it can store up to 6,000 kilograms of CO2. Such a tree then contributes as much to climate protection as a two-person household through eight years of consistent use of green electricity instead of conventional energy.

Don’t miss out on any of our blogs. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep in touch: