Celebration our 10-year Anniversary

Thank you to everyone present for contributing to our 10th anniversary!

The celebration of the anniversary took place on May 13th 2023 at various locations in Aarhus municipality, exactly on the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of the very first Forest planted in Beder called Egelund Forest.

In 2013, we, Lars Heiselberg Vang Jensen and Kim Nielsen founded the NGO Growing Trees Network with the ambition that private individuals and companies could contribute to planting forests to combat climate changes, carbon reduction, protecting important aquifers, help biodiversity and establish recreational areas.

Ten years later, there were another nine community forests in Aarhus Municipality with a total area of approximately 140 hectares. In these, 320,200 trees and shrubs have been planted, all of which are donations from private individuals and companies. The inaugurations are always celebrated with speeches, singing and hand-planting of trees, which help to give citizens ownership and pride.

The forests would not have come about without a good collaboration with Aarhus Water, Aarhus Municipality and the Danish Nature Agency, who were co-organizers of the various events during the day.

From 9-10 a.m., there was forest bathing and grounding with an instructor in Søbakke Forest Bathing Forest at Tilst. Forest bathing is inspired by the Japanese Shinrin-Yoku, which means forest bathing. Here you connect in different ways with the earth and the forest, perhaps lying in a dandelion flower, or by looking at flowers, trees and wildlife in the forest in calm being.

From 10.30 – 13 there was a walk in True Folkeskov with a story about the area’s many possibilities, bonfires, drawing, and singing. True Folkeskov, which is part of the 515 hectare state forest, True Forest, helps to protect a large aquifer. Thank you, among others, to Nicolai Bang, head of Technology and Environment in Aarhus Municipality for a great speech at the event and to Aarhus Municipality to make enthusiastic employees available at the event. Thanks to Aarhus Water for talking about the groundwater that is collected from the area and how important it is to raise forests to protect it. Thanks to Anders Busse Nielsen from the Danish Nature Agency for the guided tour around the area, as well as enthusiastic communication about the planted forest, what it can do and the opportunities it offers the visitors.

We ended the official part of the day with a visit to Egelund Folkeskov, located opposite Egelund Sports Center, where biologist at Aarhus Municipality, Peter Søgaard, took us on a guided tour through the forest and its development since the planting exactly 10 years ago. Thank you, Peter, for the insight.

The day was rounded off festively with an informal dinner at Egelund Sports Center for close friends of the Growing Trees Network, family members, sponsors and partners.

Thank you to everyone for making this day both memorable and festive.