Fewer footprints in the forest

The rea l estate sector has been working on reducing its carbon footprint. The multiple approaches it is employing include the use of renewable energy sources, low-emission construction materials and CCS (carbon capture storage), which is a system of separating carbon dioxide from materials and using it in natural processes that are far slower in releasing it than burning fossil fuels and producing billions of tonnes of concrete.

Planting trees is itself no panacea for the emissions due to constructing buildings and using them. Obviously, trees and forests store up the carbon from CO2, but their influence on our surroundings go far further. They improve water retention, they help reduce temperatures, they filter the air, they reduce noise, and they provide a haven for biodiversity. Nor do you always have to plant trees – it’s enough to conserve the forests that already exist.

No end of forest

In Poland, companies can do this by working with such organisations as Fundacja Dziedzictwo Przyrodnicze (Natural Heritage Foundation), which is responsible for the Eternal Forest project. “The principle on which Eternal Forests operates is that the wood never leaves the forest,” explains Radosław Michalski, the chairman of the foundation. “It isn’t used for producing timber but it is used for carbon storage and creating a natural environment for wildlife. Such forests appear in places that are stable over the long term, in wetland areas, river valleys and mountains, where there is high rainfall. They are made up of species that are the least threatened by climate change,” he explains.

Radosław Michalski points out that the foundation does not plant trees. “Planting trees involves preparing the soil, digging and fencing, which all involves additional CO2 emissions. The land that our foundation buys for Eternal Forests is already covered with trees of different ages that have grown in these places because their seeds have been dispersed by the wind and the birds.”

The Las na Zawsze (Forest Forever) foundation also works with companies to buy land where forests are already growing. One such partnership is with MDC2 and Generali Real Estate, the investor behind MDC2 Park Kraków South, who financed the purchase of a forest near the village of Gruszowiec. This is a mature mixed woodland of around 5.5 ha and since the owner is now a foundation with specific statutes, it will never be used by the forestry industry.

Native and resilient

Las na Zawsze takes a two-pronged approach and also carries out tree plantings on the land it purchases – and these two areas will never be put to industrial use. “We engage companies and their workers to help with reforestation, supporting the return of native species to our forests in Poland. Our foundation always emphasises that we plant forests not trees – and by this we try to educate people about the complexity of forest ecosystems and the interconnections involved in a naturally balanced ecosystem,” explains Anna Derda, the communications and PR manager of Las na Zawsze.

Trees are planted together with bushes in the forest undergrowth, often in places where trees have begun to grow naturally to support and not replace nature. Ronson is one company that has taken part in these activities, such as one scheme near Poznań: “Our tree-planting was intended to support local ecosystems. In the village of Podolany, 35 Ronson employees planted 1,800 trees over a one-hectare area,” explains Karolina Bronszewska, the director of marketing and innovation at Ronson Development.

The employees of MDC2 have also completed similar activities with Las na Zawsze. “Together with volunteers from the MDC2 team, we have carried out three plantings of deciduous trees and in the future they will become a natural forest,” reveals Magda Cieliczko, the head of marketing at MDC2. “We have managed to plant a few thousand saplings. The land where we did the work was purchased by the Las na Zawsze foundation and – just as the name of the organisation suggests – it will be forever protected so that it can grow for future generations,” she adds, while also going on to say that MDC2 is planning to continue such plantings every season.

Local and global

Eternal Forests already has around 21 ha of mature forest and around 142 ha has been planted with saplings. Through working together with various companies, Eternal Forests altogether owns around 32 ha. “Under Eternal Forests’ statutes, the land cannot be sold. Fundacja Dziedzictwo Przyrodnicze is its only owner. As a charity, we guarantee the trees;’ conservation over the longer term,” declares Radosław Michalski. He also points out that in other Western countries similar organisations exist, too. “For example, the Natural Trust in the UK has been operating since the end of the 19th century and manages around 1 pct of the land in the country including 700 miles of coastline with important bird colonies.”

Real estate companies often operate globally, so their activities to preserve nature can also take on a global dimension. One example is Prologis, which has partnered with Planet Mark and Cool Earth. “Within this partnership, we have committed ourselves to offsetting our carbon footprint by protecting and regenerating the rainforests,” explains Renata Kocemba, the marketing and communications manager for Central Europe at Prologis. “For every new warehouse, we build we take on the protection of a fragment of rainforest or we plant trees over an area 31 times greater than the area of the specific building. As a result, we have reduced our CO2 emissions by an equivalent of 358,649 tonnes and helped protect 2,789 ha of rainforest with 1.5 mln trees while saving around 513 mln litres of water,” she adds.

City gardens

When it comes to residential development, useable area dictates the conditions, but ESG is also of importance. This is happening because of the changing legal regulations but also because of the authentic engagement of those working in such development companies. A park is planned in the huge FSO warehousing and mixed-use development in Warsaw’s Żerań district, which is to take up 10 ha of the total 62 ha site. A park has also been planned for the Towarowa 22 complex in the city’s Wola district. “A city park of over 2 ha will form part of the mixed-use development on ul. Towarowa in Warsaw,” elaborates Rafał Mazurczak the COO of Echo Investment. “Furthermore, for Archicom’s development of the Modern Mokotów estate more than 3.5 ha of greenery is to appear in place of an area previously populated only with office buildings,” he adds.

Trees are not always planted just next to development projects. The Hungarian branch of Prologis has launched its own campaign to plant trees in its warehousing parks in Budapest. “The idea was to improve the lives of the people of Budapest. In partnership with the Woodapest association, we have planted 50 trees in both public space and within our logistics parks,” reveals Renata Kocemba, “we chose native species that are resilient to city conditions, including air pollution and drought, which is important for their long-term survival. Prologis has also committed itself to the long-term care of the trees.”

Forest on a miniature scale

It’s not easy for trees to thrive in a city. They have little room for their roots, they lack water and they are adversely affected by air pollution. Microforests are one interesting concept that is ideal for cities. The concept was devised by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. Small trees are planted closely together with bushes and other forest undergrowth. “To plant a microforest, you need at least 200 sqm,” explains engineer Kasper Jakubowski, the creative director of Forest Maker. “Microforests can even be planted on former industrial ground. We’ve planted them in former quarries and in former cap parks. What is important is to prepare the soil,” he adds.

Nonetheless, according to Kasper Jakubowski, the presence of other large trees can be a problem. “We could damage their roots when preparing the soil,” he admits. “Under such circumstances, you have to find somewhere else, mark out a protection area for the trees, and avoid earthworks,” he explains. Underground networks are also a problem. A microforest has to be shaped correctly in order to avoid them. Nonetheless, we still use rubber anti-root sheets and these allow us to get as close to 0.5-1 metres from, for example, a gas pipe,” he explains.

As Kasper Jakubowski goes on to say, you have to look after the plants in a microforest for three years, adding mulch and weeds. Later on, they become self-sufficient. The oldest example in Poland is a microforest in Poznań of about three years old with an area of about 600 sqm. The original investor was UWI Inwestycje. A 650 sqm microforest in Kraków has been created by the Polish Association of Developers (PZFD). This year at least two microforests will be planted on the grounds of logistics centres. “This is a natural solution. Logistics firms have a lot of land and are looking for ways to offset their carbon footprint and to manage rainwater from their roofs and car parks,” explains Kasper Jakubowski.

Why is it worthwhile planting trees in Poland using a method dreamt up by the Japanese? It turns out that ecosystems created this way are resilient and the trees grow quicker. “We’ve got a place in Kraków where a microforest of more or less three years old compares with a city grove planted in the traditional manner used by the forestry industry. You can see a huge difference,” says Kasper Jakubowski. “Even though we plant Lilliput saplings, after a few years they are 4m tall and already bearing fruit.”

Let’s do something good together

Planting saplings can also serve as a company team-building activity. Foundations know this well from partnering with businesses to protect nature. GLP is one example, having partnered up with One More Tree. “We were looking for a partner to help us plant trees on public land outside the real estate grounds we manage,” relates Jarosław Czechowicz, the country manager of GLP Poland. “One More Tree has experience working with local government and the owners of public land. The organisation has also created a programme for employees to plant trees and at GLP we are glad to make use of such team-building activities,” he says.

Jarosław Czechowicz states that GLP will eventually plant up to 1,000 trees with One More Tree. “The social and educational aspects of microforests are very important. They can be used for encouraging employees and local residents to socialise. That’s why we provide paths, clearings, benches, and even green classrooms in the immediate area. And that’s where I see the strength of such an approach. Microforests lie somewhere between total wilderness and managed greenery,” he argues. “Forest Maker also organises a Planting Day on which locals and employees can get together for a nature walk and activities are laid on for children. We also work with the Dzieci w Nature (Children in Nature) foundation in this regard),” reveals Kasper Jakubowski.

Strategies, reports and calculations

The benefits of promoting urban planting and protecting natural forests are seemingly endless. They can also be calculated in CO2 equivalents. “One hectare of mature forest can store as much as 1,500 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime,” points out Magda Cieliczko. “Are we looking to make a profit? No, because the aim of MDC2 is not to focus on carbon offsets. For us, the most important thing is that our development company generates as little carbon dioxide as possible through its operations. The guiding principle behind our projects is that we build well for the sustainable future of our tenants, our investors, our industry as a whole, as well as for the community and the environment,” she stresses.

Prologis, too, emphasises how important it is to take action to reduce emissions, which includes reducing the energy consumption of buildings and using the right building materials. “Climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time, so carbon footprint offsetting is a crucial issue for us,” says Renata Kocemba. “Our buildings meet the highest standards of sustainable construction. We use materials with a low environmental impact and apply solutions that improve energy efficiency.”

Renata Kocemba states that Prologis has been continuously monitoring assessing and reporting on its ESG activities for the last 18 years through its cyclical reports. “This year our zero emissions target was confirmed by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the most respected body to set emission standards in the world. SBTi has verified Prologis’ goals to reduce greenhouse gases and confirmed that they are believable and attainable.”

Companies approach these issue in many different ways, but foundations have also prepared their own data and calculations. “For the estimated carbon dioxide captured over the years, we rely on peer-reviewed scientific studies carried out in the Netherlands that are easily adapted for Polish conditions,” explains Kasper Jakubowski. “We know everything about each microforest, how much carbon dioxide it absorbs a year, how much water and how much dust. A microforest of three to five years old and an area of 200 sqm will sequester 0.5 tonnes of CO2 a year. Before planting we enrich the soil with a large amount of compost, straw, fungi and other components. The companies and local authorities we work with receive a full report from us,” he says.

According to Radosław Michalski, each area where trees grow can be treated as a place to store and capture carbon dioxide. “This is biological CCS. We can specify how much CO2 is stored by Eternal Forests on the basis of scientifically compiled forestry tables. With given types of soil and types of tree, including dead trees, we can plot a CCS curve over time. We do not sell dispensations but we do help to be net climate neutral with a clear emphasis on the effort to reduce CO2 emissions to zero,” points out Radosław Michalski.

The chairman of Fundacja Dziedzictwo Przyrodnicze states that up until now and through working with companies they have been able to create Eternal Forests, which by the time they reach full maturity will have sequestered 17,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. “The storage and capture of CO2 in Eternal Forests can, with the help of the foundation, be written up as activity to lower carbon emissions in non-financial reports,” says Radosław Michalski.

Anna Derda points out that Las na Zawsze works intensively to obtain this information, but right now the data is more of an estimate. “Due to the number of areas and their diversity, we don’t have a single answer today. This will require specific studies and observations, particularly when the science keeps giving us new information,” she points out, and adds that when the priority is carbon capture, wetland forests lead the way since they will capture the most.

“The choice of materials is the dominant factor in our efforts to minimise carbon emissions. So, low-emission steel and wood are used in construction,” says Jarosław Czechowicz of GLP. “Planting trees is on the list of solutions, but realistically it cannot be regarded as the main method of reducing carbon emissions to zero. In spite of everything, it is a compensatory activity that we treat seriously and use in our properties and in public areas. The world just needs more trees.”