The total kilometres of tree-lined avenues in Germany can only be roughly estimated. A total of approximately 23,000 kilometres of roads and lanes are lined by avenue trees. Brandenburg is the federal state boasting the greatest number of such avenues, with about 8,000 kilometres of avenues, followed by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with around 4,000 kilometres of avenues. Some federal states, for example North Rhine-Westphalia, are currently establishing an avenue cadastre, so there will be hopefully be a more detailed overview of Germany’s tree-lined streets available in the future.
Most of such avenues are found in Germany’s eastern federal states. The western federal states felled a lot of trees that lined avenues to make way for the expansion of streets and roads, especially in the 60s and 70s of the last century. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many trees in the former East Germany have also fallen prey to the new roads or are highly endangered.
Although linden tree avenues are the most common, maples, oaks, fruit trees and birches also line streets and roads. Urban avenues frequently also feature other types of trees such as sycamores. In recent years, elm-lined avenues have become something of a rarity. One occasionally also comes across quite exceptional green tunnels such as whitebeam avenues.
Although avenue trees can still be found lining all types of roads in the country, the trees along the great through roads are especially often felled or no longer replanted, due to the heavy volume of traffic. Even when it comes to minor roads and country lanes, however, avenues are very much endangered by agricultural machinery.
Avenue in Brandenburg | photo: Elke Thiele
Germany’s federal system of government means that avenue protection falls under the responsibility of the respective federal state. The Federal Nature Conservation Act nevertheless expressly gives every state the right to place avenues under special protection. However, only very few states, such as Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and North Rhine-Westphalia, make use of this right. And even in the federal states that champion the protection of their green travel companions, sustainable preservation of their tree-lined avenues is by no means assured. This is due to the guidelines and recommendations of transport authorities such as RPS and ESAB, which make follow-up plantings and new plantings next to impossible. According to RPS, for example, new trees should only be planted at a distance of 7.50 metres from the roadside. Although this guideline applies only to main roads, many federal states apply it to all roads, including small municipal and district roads.
This of course makes new plantings extremely difficult; conservationists are forced to fight for each gap in order to fill them in again with trees. Often plantings can only be carried out – if at all – behind guardrails, requiring considerable additional costs that often make them unfeasible.
Many German citizens are nevertheless concerned about their avenues and fight for every tree and for their special avenue. Many conservation organisations are also committed to protecting the green tunnels. This has led to the creation of a nationwide avenue network in order to combine forces and campaign in concert for the interests of avenues.
Contact:
Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Bundesverband e.V. (SDW)
Meckenheimer Allee 79
53115 Bonn
Telefon: +49 (0)228 – 94 59 83 0
Internet: www.sdw.de
E-Mail: info@sdw.de
Webseite: www.alleen-fan.de
Avenue Network Germany
Alleenschutzgemeinschaft e.V.
Cornelia Behm
An der Stammbahn 181, 14532 Kleinmachnow
E-Mail: info@alleenschutzgemeinschaft.de
Internet: www.alleenschutzgemeinschaft.de
Baden-Württemberg:
Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Landesverband Baden-Württemberg e.V.
Nicole Fürmann
Königsträßle 74, 70597 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 (0)711 – 61 60 32
E-Mail: info@sdw-bw.de
Web: www.sdw-bw.de
BNR Baumnotruf UG
Berthold Markgraf
Nußdorfer Str. 7
71665 Vaihingen an der Enz
E-Mail: info@baumnotruf.de
Web: www.baumnotruf.de
Bavaria:
Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Bayern e.V.
Lothar Gössinger
Ludwigstr. 2, 80539 München
Tel.: +49 (0)89 – 28 43 94
E-Mail: sdwbayern@t-online.de
Web: www.sdw-bayern.de
planes in Berlin-Treptow | photo: Elke Thiele
Berlin:
GRÜNE LIGA Berlin e.V.
Prenzlauer Allee 8, 10405 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0))30 – 4433 91 – 0
E-Mail: berlin@grueneliga.de
Internet: www.grueneliga-berlin.de
Brandenburg:
Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Peters
Schicklerstraße 5, 16225 Eberswalde
Tel.: +49 (0)3334 – 657-334
E-Mail: jpeters@hnee.de
Hamburg:
IfB INSTITUT FÜR BAUMPFLEGE GmbH & Co. KG
Prof. Dr. Dirk Dujesiefken
Brookkehre 60, 21029 Hamburg
Telefon: +49 (0)40 – 724 13 10
E-Mail: info@institut-fuer-baumpflege.de
Internet: www.institut-fuer-baumpflege.de
Lower Saxony:
Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald
Landesverband Niedersachsen e.V.
Johannssenstr. 10
30159 Hannover
Tel.: 0511/363590
E-Mail: info@sdw-nds.de
Web: www.sdw-nds.de
Niedersächsischer Heimatbund e.V.
An der Börse 5 – 6
30159 Hannover
Tel.: 0511/3681251
E-Mail: heimat@niedersaechsischer-heimatbund.de
Web: www.niedersaechsischer-heimatbund.de
data base „tree-lined roads in Lower-Saxony“: www.alleen-niedersachsen.de
Eduard Müller
Reininger Str. 14
49163 Bohmte – Hunteburg
Tel.: +49 (0)5475 – 91 12 17
E-Mail: eduard_mueller@gmx.de
Web: www.erhaltet-hunteburg.de/alleen.html
North Rhine-Westphalia:
Ministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Landwirtschaft, Natur- und Verbraucherschutz Referat III-2
Nicole Menden
Schwannstraße 3, 40476 Düsseldorf
Tel.: +49 (0)211/4566-905
E-Mail: nicole.menden@mkulnv.nrw.de
Web: www.umwelt.nrw.de/naturschutz/alleen/index.php
Saxony:
GRÜNE LIGA Sachsen Regionalvereinigung Oberlausitz e.V.
Ansprechpartner: Rolf Kubenz
Czornebohstraße 82 – Sternwarte, 02625 Bautzen
Tel.: +49 (0)3591 – 605860
E-Mail: oberlausitz@grueneliga.de
Web: www.grueneliga-sachsen-oberlausitz.de
Saxony-Anhalt:
BUND Sachsen-Anhalt e.V.
Julia Wendenkampf
Olvenstedter Straße 10, 39108 Magdeburg
Tel.: +49 (0)391 – 56 30 78 10
E-Mail: julia.wendenkampf@bund-sachsen-anhalt.de
Web: www.bund-sachsen-anhalt.de
Schleswig-Holstein:
Landesbetrieb Straßenbau und Verkehr Schleswig-Holstein (LBV-SH)
Matthias Werner
Mercatorstraße 9, 24106 Kiel
Tel.: +49 (0)431 – 383-2684
E-Mail: Matthias.Werner@lbv-sh.landsh.de
Web: www.lbv-sh.de
Thuringia
Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald, Landesverband Thüringen e.V.
Lindenhof 3, 99998 Weinbergen / OT Seebach
Tel.: +49 (0)3601 – 42 70 40
E-Mail: info@sdw-thueringen.de
Web: www.sdw-thueringen.de