Bright tomorrow
With EiLT, we at the Thünen Institute are launching an “experimental, interdisciplinary Landscape Laboratory”, in which we will develop and test land utilisation systems of the future.
Societal change often starts with an idea, born at the desk. Not infrequently, there is an economic necessity behind it. Would the principle of sustainable yield forestry have existed if Hans Carl von Carlowitz had not clearly stated that forests do not provide an endless supply of building material? If the famous Thünen Rings had existed, would Johann Heinrich von Thünen not have thought so hard about how to secure supplies for the cities and at the same time enable farmers to make more profit from their yields? When systems reach their limits and old structures are no longer viable, new things grow out of them. EiLT follows in this tradition.
EiLT is not only the short form of the scientific project name ‘Experimental Interdisciplinary Landscape Laboratory at the Thünen Institute for Research, Development, Testing, and Demonstration of Land Utilisation Systems of the Future’. EiLT is also German for “hurry”. It means: We live in a time when time is running out.
The future has already begun on the fields, grassland, and in the forest at the Thünen site in Trenthorst: The concepts for nine experimental fields have been developed in the minds of our scientists. Now we are testing and demonstrating in reality whether practice lives up to theory.
In just a few years, agricultural and food systems will have to look different than they do today, not least due to climate change. But under what conditions should fields and meadows be remodelled in the future? How can soil be used optimally and still be healthy and species-rich? How can farmers generate additional income? How does reforestation actually work on land formerly used as arable land? And can we profitably and sustainably combine pond aquaculture with entirely new types of use in the future?
Almost 600 hectares of agricultural and forestry land are available for this purpose - the equivalent of around 840 football pitches. On this extensive area, we concentrate on experiments that cannot be carried out in other landscape laboratories or experimental stations, or only to a limited extent. Thünen researchers work on an interdisciplinary basis in the individual experimental fields. Moreover: the experiments build on existing knowledge and at the same time open up space for new questions and thus creative ideas at the interfaces. The results are as open as the future, but we want to shape this future. That is why we hurry towards a ‘Bright tomorrow’.
The eight experimental fields in detail
Institutes involved: WF HF FG WO
Currently, everything is happening too quickly: climate change is rapidly altering environmental factors such as water supply, temperature, and nutrient levels in the soil, which are important for tree growth. Trees are no longer able to adapt naturally to the new conditions within their life cycle. Scientists are therefore currently looking for tree species that can grow under changed site conditions as well as develop wood in a quality suitable for its utilisation as a material. They are developing concepts for how forests should be reforested in the future to preserve their ecosystem services.
In Trenthorst, new trial areas have been established consistently for around 15 years. In recent years, mainly tree species such as aspen, poplar, and willow, which grow quickly and whose wood can be utilised after a relatively short time have been tested. In the EiLT landscape laboratory, tree species are now being planted that are said to have promising properties for cultivation in a changing climate and that have been categorised as particularly sustainable by the Federation-Federal States Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources and Forest Seed Law. These include rare native species such as hornbeam, Norway maple, small-leaved linden and wild service tree, native European species such as Nordmann fir, Oriental beech and Turkish hazel, as well as non-European tree species such as northern red oak.
The fields on which the trees are planted are also subject to scientific interest: the researchers want to find out how a soil that has been highly compacted by decades of agricultural use and has no forest soil structures needs to be cultivated so that forest trees can grow and develop well.
In order to better understand the impact of climate, the provenance trials will be planted simultaneously at several locations across Germany with different climatic conditions. In addition, seed orchards will be established to produce high-quality propagation material in the medium terml.
Institutes involved: OL HF
Drought and heat are hitting pasture farming in particular: the animals are not only suffering from the high temperatures; their supply of feed is jeopardised as well. In particular, so-called agrosilvopastoral systems, that is the combination of woody plants and animals on grazable arable and grassland areas, are being discussed as a possible solution. Not only as the foliage can provide additional fodder and their heat mitigating effects. The mixed-use areas could also act as carbon sinks to offset greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production, promote biodiversity, and generate additional income for farms. However, the interactions between these agricultural and forestry areas, which are no longer clearly separated, are uncharted scientific territory in Germany. There have been no long-term trials to date.
Various plantations are now being established in Trenthorst to understand, for example, what effects different tree and shrub species have on soil, plants, animals, and agriculture in a combined system. The grazing of existing woodland structures will be studied as well. An essential part of the analysis will also be the question regarding the type and utilisation of the plantations.
Institutes involved: BW OL HF MA
In 2024, 4.7 million hectares or 28 per cent of the agricultural land in Germany was permanent grassland. This use is particularly beneficial from a climate protection and biodiversity perspective. However, a large proportion of the grassland is used for the 10.5 million cattle living in Germany, 3.8 million of which are dairy cows, and for the 1.5 million sheep. Yet, ruminant husbandry is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through the emission of methane. In Trenthorst, alternative forms of grassland use (permanent grassland and temporary grassland on arable land) are now to be developed, tested, and analysed in terms of their ecological and economic effects. Green cuttings that are no longer used as fodder due to nature conservation regulations could be used for paper production or insect breeding, for example. Another option would be to keep grazing animals that are not ruminants but still suitable for human consumption. These include poultry as well as animal species that are not currently kept in Germany. A system comparison with standardised indicators will be carried out for all possible alternative uses and the practical marketing options for the end products will be investigated.
Institutes involved: AT HF
The more diverse agricultural landscapes are, the more varied the biomass produced will be. It will also be produced in smaller quantities. Until now, these amounts of biomass have not been economically utilisable, or only to a certain extent. However, if processed on site in a farm´s own refinery, they could be a valuable raw-material. The Trenthorst Landscape Laboratory aims to develop processing methods for these different biomasses. Ideally, a farm refinery will be created.
Small-scale refineries can be used to establish resilient, resource-efficient and sustainable value chains and close local material cycles in agriculture and forestry. The main goal is to use the simplest and most flexible processes possible to process the biomass in such a way that it can subsequently be utilised as a high-quality material. The plan is to use part of the biomass directly on the farm. The rest, however, will be delivered to centralised facilities for further processing in the form of high-quality primary products.
