German Forest Protection Association

Name

German Forest Protection Association

Legal name

Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Landesverband Sachsen e.V.

Website

https://sdw-sachsen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forest Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Forest conservation services
• Environmental education programs
• Tree planting services
• Forest pedagogy training
• Membership conservation organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Markkleeberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees and Donations: SDW generates revenue through membership contributions and tree donations from private individuals and organizations. Members support the association's forest protection and education activities.
2. Magazine Subscription (Unser Wald): Quarterly magazine 'Unser Wald' sold as annual subscription: 18 EUR for members/students, 19.50 EUR for non-members. Probe subscription available for 8 EUR (2 issues).
3. Shop Sales: Sale of educational materials, tree information leaflets, and SDW merchandise through the online shop at shop.sdw.de.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald (SDW) is a German nonprofit association that delivers forest protection through three interconnected pillars: (1) practical tree planting programs with the flagship Tag des Baumes annual action planting more than 100,000 trees; (2) forest pedagogy (Waldpädagogik) services including the Waldmobil mobile education unit, school forests, forest kindergartens, and youth forest homes; and (3) educational content via the Bildungsserver Wald portal, SDW-Campus digital learning platform (including Klimakönner-MOOC), and the quarterly Unser Wald magazine. The organization operates a decentralized network of 15 state associations (Landesverbände) coordinating approximately 350 local volunteer groups across Germany.

Product overview

SDW (Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald - German Forest Protection Association) is a non-profit organization operating as a unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering centers on forest protection through three interconnected pillars: (1) practical tree planting programs with the flagship Tag des Baumes annual action involving hundreds of thousands of trees, (2) forest pedagogy and environmental education services including the Waldmobil mobile education unit and Bildungsserver Wald digital platform, and (3) the Unser Wald quarterly publication providing educational content. The Waldmobil provides free mobile forest education to schools across Saxony with six themed programs, while the Bildungsserver Wald and SDW-Campus deliver digital educational materials including the Klimakönner-MOOC. Additional programs include the Baum des Jahres awareness initiative highlighting different tree species annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waldmobil: A mobile forest education program (mobile Forschungsstation) that tours throughout Saxony bringing forest education to schools, bringing research materials, games, microscopes, and educational tools directly to classrooms and schoolyards.
• Unser Wald
• Bildungsserver Wald
• in-den-wald.de

Products and services

• Waldmobil Mobile Forest Education Service A mobile forest research station (mobile Forschungsstation) operated by SDW Sachsen that travels to schools throughout Saxony, providing free forest education with prepared theme boxes containing books, games, craft materials, microscopes, binoculars, and various measuring devices. Designed for school children and educators as part of the Waldpädagogik curriculum.
• Bildungsserver Wald Educational Portal Free online educational portal offering materials about forest, climate, and nature topics for teachers, educators, and private individuals. Serves as the primary digital educational resource hub for forest pedagogy in Germany.
• SDW-Campus Digital Learning Platform Educational platform offering digital learning videos, the Klimakönner-MOOC online course for climate education, and continuing education programs (Fort- und Weiterbildung) for forest educators and environmental education professionals, including Wald-Dialoge conferences and Waldpädagogiktagung events.
• Unser Wald Quarterly Magazine Quarterly SDW member magazine published by Verlagsgesellschaft Unser Wald mbH featuring reports on forest activities, project updates, seasonal forest topics, and nature exploration content. Available by annual subscription: 18 EUR (members/students/apprentices), 19.50 EUR (non-members), with a 2-issue probe subscription at 8 EUR.
• Waldpädagogik Forest Education Programs Comprehensive forest education programs (Waldpädagogik) including school forests (Schulwälder), forest kindergartens (Waldkindergärten), youth forest homes (Jugendwaldheime), creative competitions, and continuing education courses for educators. These programs represent SDW's core educational offerings developed over decades.
• Baumpflanzungen Tree Planting Services Reforestation and tree planting services including the annual Tag des Baumes (Tree Day, April 25) initiative planting over 100,000 trees nationwide each year, Aufforstungsprojekte reforestation projects, Klimastämme climate tree installations, Alleenschutz alley tree protection, and corporate tree-planting partnerships. Trees can be sponsored by individuals or organizations through the Bäume spenden program.
• SDW Membership Program Annual membership program for individuals, companies, and organizations supporting SDW's forest protection and environmental education activities. Members receive the Unser Wald quarterly magazine and can participate in local volunteer groups. Members also benefit from discounted magazine subscription rates.
• Tree Donations and Corporate Sponsorship Program Donation programs allowing individuals (Bäume spenden) and corporate partners (Unternehmen und Organisationen) to sponsor tree planting, support reforestation projects, and contribute to SDW initiatives including the Tag des Baumes and other forest restoration efforts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 trees planted annually on Tag des Baumes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Finanzgruppe Volksbanken/RaiffeisenbankencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Major multi-year cooperation resulted in planting 1.1 million trees, successfully completed in 2024. This represents one of SDW's largest corporate partnerships for forest restoration.
• Stiftung Unternehmen WaldmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership resulted in planting 140,000 trees at Nordberg in Goslar. This foundation supports sustainable forest management and reforestation projects.
• Bildungsserver Wald (Education Server Wald)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborative platform providing free educational materials about forest, climate, nature and related topics. Serves as the primary digital educational resource hub for forest pedagogy in Germany.
• Baum des Jahres – Dr. Silvius Wodarz Stiftung (Tree of the Year Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Since 1989, the Dr. Silvius Wodarz Foundation has designated an annual 'Tree of the Year', coordinated with SDW. This initiative raises awareness about tree species facing threats from forest damage, diseases, climate change, or ecological significance.
• in-den-wald.deminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPortal website showcasing forest pedagogy offerings across Germany including forest schools, education centers, and forest birthday parties.
• Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Ministry supporting SDW initiatives including Tag des Baumes events, with representation at key tree planting ceremonies (e.g., Dr. Eckhard Heuer from BMEL participated in 2022 events).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WWF Deutschland: German arm of the global WWF network, with a much larger staff, broader conservation mandate, and corporate partnership capacity. Comparable in forest and reforestation focus but operates at far greater scale and resource base.

Direct peers

• BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland): German environmental NGO with a membership-and-chapter structure, advocacy focus, and significant educational programming. Closely comparable in mission, governance, and decentralized operating model to SDW.
• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland): Germany's largest environmental association, with a similar membership-based nonprofit model, nationwide chapter structure, and broad conservation mandate. Directly comparable in operating model, though with a larger professional staff and broader species/habitat scope.
• Bergwaldprojekt e.V. German nonprofit focused on volunteer-based forest conservation, reforestation, and forest education — directly comparable to SDW's volunteer-grove and Waldpädagogik pillars, with a more concentrated geographic focus.
• Arbor Day Foundation: U.S.-based nonprofit centered on tree planting and forest education, the originator of the Arbor Day tradition. Directly comparable to SDW on the tree-planting and education mission, despite operating in a different geography.
• Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH): German environmental NGO combining advocacy, education, and member-supported conservation campaigns; comparable operating model with a stronger litigation and policy-advocacy orientation.
• Robin Wood: German environmental action group with member-supported campaigns on forests and conservation; comparable in advocacy-driven nonprofit model and grassroots member engagement.

Emerging players

• Plant-for-the-Planet: Youth-driven global reforestation and climate education initiative; comparable on tree-planting scale and educational content, with a more digital-first and youth-targeted operating model.

Regional players

• Naturparks in Sachsen / Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz: Regional state-protected forest and nature areas in Saxony with active education and visitor programming; comparable to SDW Sachsen in target audience (schools, families) and forest education mission within the same geography.

Others

• Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald Bundesverband: The national federal association of which the subject company (SDW Sachsen) is a state chapter. Effectively the parent brand and organizational counterpart, providing national coordination and the federal magazine 'Unser Wald'.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sdwsachsen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schutzgemeinschaft-deutscher-wald-landesverband-sachsen-e-v

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about German Forest Protection Association