The Berlin Forestry Authority has now officially recognised the Emmaus Forest as forest under §2 of the State Forest Act!
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The forestry authority further notes:
- Compared with the rest of Berlin, the district of Neukölln must be considered extremely poor in forest area.
- With the new forest, Neukölln’s forest stock has almost tripled.
- The loss of this forest area would have a particularly strong impact on the urban climate.
If the Emmaus Forest is still to be developed, compensation is required in the form of replacement afforestation – presumably within the city area – or a financial settlement (“forest preservation levy”). To determine the compensation, a professional forest assessment would be needed, which must be reviewed by the Berlin Forestry Authority.
It can be assumed that this procedure cannot be completed by the end of the year! But that does not mean the Emmaus Forest is saved – the Senate wants to take the procedure away from the district in order to finalise the development plan as quickly as possible – and clear the forest!
#EmmausWaldBleibt! #ForestInsteadOfAsphalt! #AllTreesStay!