Rewilding Forest near Kreuzbruch, Brandenburg

430 m² of forest in a landscape with multiple protected areas

Location: Kreuzbruch near Liebenwalde, Brandenburg
Habitat: Forest area
Size: 430 m²
Protected areas: Landscape conservation area, nature park, and EU Special Protection Area
for Birds Rewilding: No forestry use and no timber harvesting; natural forest development
Status: Permanently secured and removed from commercial use

Our Rewilding Forest near Kreuzbruch

eMission-X owns a 430 m² forested area near Kreuzbruch, a district of the city of Liebenwalde in Brandenburg.

The property is located west of Berliner Chaussee and is part of a larger forest and landscape area north of Berlin.

At 430 m², Kreuzbruch is one of our smaller properties. Its location, however, makes the area special: it is situated within a landscape that falls under several categories of protected areas.

Forest in a Landscape with Multiple Protected Designations

Our property is located within a landscape conservation area, a nature park, and an EU bird sanctuary.

Each of these protected area categories has its own specific objectives and does not automatically apply to every single animal or plant species on our property.

For our rewilding efforts, however, one thing is crucial above all else:

Even within this protected landscape, our forest area is privately owned—and we can choose to forgo commercial use of our 430 m².

No forestry and no timber harvesting

In the surrounding forest areas, aerial photos sometimes reveal signs of forestry operations.

On our own land, we take a different approach.

There is no forestry management, and trees are not harvested for timber.

Existing trees are allowed to age, young trees can establish themselves naturally, and deadwood can remain on the site—provided there are no compelling reasons against it.

Reforestation or large-scale initial restoration is not necessary.

The forest is already there. We’re letting it continue to develop.

430 square meters of rewilding

430 m² is not a large forest area.

But even on 430 m², we can make a very concrete decision:

Will the forest be used for commercial purposes—or not?

For our property near Kreuzbruch, the answer is clear and permanent:

No timber production. No traditional forestry. Natural forest development.

We do not presume to dictate what this forest should look like in ten, twenty, or fifty years.

Ownership provides long-term security

The property is owned by eMission-X. The land registry is free of any encumbrances that would prevent us from permanently securing the land for our nature conservation purposes.

This allows us to ensure that the land will not be put back into economic or forestry use by us.

This highlights a key aspect of our rewilding approach, especially when it comes to small parcels of land:

We do not simply lease natural areas on a temporary basis.

We purchase them and permanently remove them from commercial use.

Let the Forest Be a Forest

No major measures are needed on our land near Kreuzbruch.

We don’t need to plant a forest—it’s already there.

We don’t need to plan for a future state, because that’s precisely not what our approach is about.

Above all, we must do one thing:

Leave the forest alone.

Or, according to our rewilding principle:

Buy the forest. Stop using it. Let the forest be a forest.

However, it is precisely such places that are of particular ecological interest. The property is located in a landscape conservation area, within a nature park, and in an EU bird sanctuary. This means the area is part of a natural habitat that plays an important role for many animal and plant species.

The property title is free of encumbrances, so the area could be permanently secured for nature conservation purposes without restrictions. Aerial photos of the surrounding area show that active forestry is being practiced in parts of the nearby forests.

With this acquisition, eMission-X is taking a different approach:
The area will not be managed. There will be no logging or commercial use. Instead, nature will be allowed to develop here without human intervention.

Even small patches of forest can serve as valuable refuges for insects, birds, fungi, and numerous soil organisms. As part of a larger landscape, they help connect habitats and stabilize ecological processes.

Many of eMission-X’s properties are small. Yet together, they form a growing network of areas where nature takes precedence once again.