Living Lab Harz
The place where new solutions for the forest are tested under real-world conditions. The first cohort starts in Stolberg in 2027.
Future Forest Labs
For a future in which forests and landscapes are the critical infrastructure of a crisis-resilient European economy.
Get in touchWhat we do
Future Forest Forum
The annual meeting place for tomorrow's forestry: here, capital, forest owners, science and innovation come together as equals.
forum.futureforest.de
Advisory
Process consulting for forestry operations, plus talks, facilitation and workshop design. We carry new solutions to where decisions are made every day.
Living Lab Harz
In the heart of Germany, in Stolberg in the Harz mountains, we are building our living lab: in the landscape that has borne the brunt of the forest crisis since 2018. Whoever tests here tests in the real world, not the ideal one.
This is deliberately framed as the future: the site is under construction. The first cohort starts in 2027.
Stolberg (Harz), Germany
The concept behind it
Our living lab is the practice pillar of a bigger idea: the 'Nature Intelligence' whitepaper shows how a shared measurement infrastructure builds trust and enables investment in nature markets. It was created in a joint project with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The whitepaper is available in German and English.
Future Forest Forum
The place where tomorrow's forest takes shape today.
Since 2021, the Future Forest Forum brings forest practice, startups, science and family-owned companies together once a year. Conversation instead of panels.
Here you see the solutions that already work, and the ones needed next take shape.
Every size of business counts here. Ideas are allowed to be unfinished.
Date and location for 2027 will be announced shortly.
More at forum.futureforest.de„The Future Forest Forum shows again and again what becomes possible when so many exciting people and topics come together. A great opportunity to take home innovation, inspiration and new contacts.“
Lucas von Fürstenberg„The Future Forest Forum has established itself as an indispensable industry event. It brings together inspiring people who are ready to rethink the climate-resilient forest of tomorrow.“
Denise Brauer„Exciting and instructive days in a beautiful setting: for us as a startup, the Future Forest Forum opened up a universe of possibilities. This is how innovation happens!“
Sebastian HinzAdvisory, Talks, Facilitation
Waldzeit: process consulting for forestry
Less desk, more forest: we help you clear the processes that keep skilled people away from the field, and bring the forester back to the forest.
Talks and keynotes
Forest resilience, new nature markets, AI in forestry: rigorous, accessible, and free of hype.
Facilitation and workshops
We structure the conversations that need to move something forward: in the forest and beyond.
About us
Future Forest Labs grew out of the Future Forest Initiative, which has supported more than 40 startups in the forest and nature space. From that work came a conviction: if you want to change the forest, you have to start acting.
As bridge builders, we mediate between the poles of the forestry world: between science and markets, between public funding and private capital, between established forestry practice and nature tech, and between individual startups and a strong ecosystem.
Our home is the forester's lodge at the Schindelbruch in Stolberg, in the Harz mountains of Germany.
We are looking for partners
For the build-up of our living lab and the next Future Forest Forum, we are looking for partners who want to move the transformation of forestry forward with us: as a sponsor with visible recognition, as a research partner, or with early access to data and results from the living lab.
Discuss a partnershipThat's why we exist: to turn intention into action. With a living lab for testing, a Future Forest Forum for connecting, and consulting for implementing.
Today
Advisory work, talks and facilitation, plus the build-out of our living lab in Stolberg. The first cohort starts in 2027.
Next
The first living lab cohort in Stolberg and the next Future Forest Forum.
Our goal
A fully equipped living lab in the Harz mountains and a European network of places where tomorrow's forestry is tested.
The forest doesn't need better intentions. It needs people who act, and a place where they do it together.
Frequently asked questions
What is Future Forest Labs?
Future Forest Labs is a spin-off of the Future Forest Initiative. We bring the forestry sector and everyone who wants to shape the forest of tomorrow to one table: through our living lab in the Harz, the Future Forest Forum, and formats that connect forestry, science and business: from talks and studies to advisory work and on-site formats.
What is a living lab?
The term is mostly used in academia: universities and research institutions test new approaches there under controlled conditions. Our living lab thinks from the market side. It is being built in Stolberg in the Harz mountains and brings innovators, scientists and forestry practitioners together, with the goal of not only testing scientific findings but turning them into commercially viable solutions for the forest of tomorrow.
What is the Future Forest Forum?
Since 2021, the Future Forest Forum has been the space where the forestry sector, from district managers to institutional investors, works on market-ready solutions for the forest of tomorrow, at eye level and without pressure.
When does the first living lab cohort start?
The build-up is underway; the first cohort is planned for 2027. Until then, we are building the living lab in Stolberg in the Harz mountains and working on the bridge between forest and market through advisory work, talks and facilitation.
How can I work with Future Forest Labs?
We are looking for partners to help shape the build-up phase of the living lab: with visibility, research cooperation or early access as the return. Just get in touch and we will find the right format together.
Contact
What are you working on?
- You want to help shape the next Future Forest Forum as an exhibitor?
- Your forestry operation is stuck in processes that keep people away from the field?
- You need a talk or a facilitation that puts your topic on stage?