Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V. (FLL)

What Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V. (FLL) does

Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V. (FLL) is a Bonn-headquartered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein), founded in 1975 as the scientific network of the German green industry (Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau). It operates through 65 specialist committees organized into 13 categories — Trees & Woody Plants, Building Greening, Path Construction, Lighting, Cemetery, Water Management, Costing, Compost & Fertilizer, Green Maintenance, Production Standards, Damage Cases, Play/Sport/Health, and Transition Areas — and produces normative guidelines (Richtlinien), recommendations (Empfehlungen), and additional technical contract conditions (ZTV) that have de facto regulatory force in German municipal procurement, contracts, and liability case law. The organization is member-funded and governed by a Präsidium, currently led by Prof. Gert Bischoff following the June 18, 2026 succession of Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kias.

FLL's product portfolio comprises four interlocking revenue streams: (1) the FLL-Schriftenreihe publication series sold via shop.fll.de covering all 13 specialist categories; (2) professional certifications for tree inspectors (FLL-Zertifizierter Baumkontrolleur, since 2007, 95 EUR per exam participant) and playground inspectors (Qualifizierter Spielplatzprüfer), delivered through a network of cooperating training institutes including Akademie Landschaftsbau Weihenstephan, arbor*faktur, Arbus, Baum Land Holz, and Baumpflege Heller; (3) recurring professional conferences including the annual FLL-Verkehrssicherheitstage (since 2010), biennial Forschungsforum Landschaft (since 2008, 160+ participants in 2025), Osnabrücker Sportplatztage (since 2015, co-organized with BISp and Hochschule Osnabrück), and the BIM in der Landschaftsarchitektur series; and (4) the manufacturer-financed FLL-Düngemitteldatenbank fertilizer database launched in 2014 and modernized in 2026. Customers span German municipalities, tree-care companies, landscape architects, playground operators, sports facility operators, and academic institutions, served through direct channels and partnerships with BDLA, BGL, DGGL, GALK, and ISA Germany.

Name

Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V. (FLL)

Legal name

Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V.

Website

https://fll.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V. (FLL) is a Bonn-based non-profit standards-setting body, founded in 1975, that publishes normative guidelines, recommendations, and technical contract conditions for the German green industry, certifies tree and playground inspectors, runs professional conferences, and operates a manufacturer-financed fertilizer database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Construction Standards and Green Industry Guidelines

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tree & Shrub Fertilization & Plant Health Care (PHC) (HSAIAGAG)

Keywords

• Landscape construction standards
• Green industry guidelines
• Tree inspector certification
• Playground safety inspection
• Sports facility construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales (FLL-Shop): FLL sells its normative guidelines, recommendations, ZTV standards, and specialist reports (Fachberichte) through the FLL Online Shop at shop.fll.de. These publications cover all 13 specialist categories including trees, building greening, paths, water, cemeteries, sports facilities, and more.
2. Certification Fees: FLL certifies tree inspectors (FLL-Zertifizierter Baumkontrolleur) and playground inspectors (Qualifizierter Spielplatzprüfer) through cooperating training institutes. Fees are collected per examination participant (e.g., 95 EUR per participant for the FLL-Zertifizierter Baumkontrolleur from April 2024). Additional fees apply for certificate replacement, recognition of equivalent qualifications, and institute onboarding.
3. Event Registration Fees: FLL organizes and hosts professional conferences and events including the FLL-Verkehrssicherheitstage (annual), Fachtagung ZTV-Pflanzarbeiten, Online Fachtagung Fassadensockel, Forschungsforum Landschaft (biennial), and Osnabrücker Sportplatztage (biennial). Fees vary by event type and membership status, ranging from 40 EUR (students) to 350 EUR (full two-day conference).
4. Düngemitteldatenbank (Fertilizer Database): The fertilizer database is manufacturer-financed, providing free access to users while generating revenue through manufacturer contributions for database inclusion and maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FLL is a non-profit scientific network and standards-setting body for the German green industry. It develops and publishes normative guidelines (Richtlinien), recommendations (Empfehlungen), and Additional Technical Contract Conditions (ZTV) covering landscape construction, tree care, playground safety, sports facility construction, irrigation, building greening, and green space management. It also certifies tree inspectors (FLL-Zertifizierter Baumkontrolleur) and playground inspectors (Qualifizierter Spielplatzprüfer), runs the manufacturer-financed FLL-Düngemitteldatenbank fertilizer database, and organizes professional conferences including the FLL-Verkehrssicherheitstage, Forschungsforum Landschaft, and Osnabrücker Sportplatztage.

Product overview

FLL (Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V.) is a non-profit scientific network for the green industry founded in 1975. Rather than a unified software product, FLL operates as a standards organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services: (1) the FLL-Schriftenreihe publication series containing guidelines, recommendations, and technical contract conditions (ZTV) across 65 expert committees organized into 13 specialist categories covering trees, greening, path construction, water management, sports facilities, and more; (2) certification programs for FLL-Zertifizierter Baumkontrolleur (tree inspectors) and Qualifizierter Spielplatzprüfer (playground inspectors); (3) professional conferences including FLL-Verkehrssicherheitstage, Forschungsforum Landschaft, Osnabrücker Sportplatztage, and BIM in der Landschaftsarchitektur series; and (4) the FLL-Düngemitteldatenbank fertilizer database. Key standards include ZTV-Baumpflege, Baumkontrollrichtlinien, Dachbegrünungsrichtlinien, ZTV-Wegebau, and Bewässerungsrichtlinien.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FLL-Schriftenreihe (FLL Publication Series) Comprehensive collection of normative guidelines, recommendations, and technical contract conditions covering all areas of landscape development, garden/landscape construction, sports facility construction, and green space management — sold through the FLL Online Shop to municipalities, landscape architects, contractors, and green industry professionals.
• FLL-Zertifizierter Baumkontrolleur (FLL Certified Tree Inspector) Nationwide standardized certification program for tree inspectors examining their knowledge for responsible traffic safety work, offered since March 2007 through cooperating training institutes such as Akademie Landschaftsbau Weihenstephan, arbor*faktur, Arbus, Baum Land Holz, and Baumpflege Heller.
• Qualifizierter Spielplatzprüfer QSP (Qualified Playground Inspector) Certification program for playground inspectors ensuring safe and worry-free play through regular inspections, testing, and maintenance in compliance with DIN EN 1176, offered through cooperating training institutes for public and private playground operators.
• FLL-Verkehrssicherheitstage (FLL Traffic Safety Days) Annual two-day professional conference on traffic safety of trees in forest and city settings, including presentations on current case law, expert work, and practical reports for tree inspectors, arborists, and municipal authorities.
• Forschungsforum Landschaft (Research Forum Landscape) Biennial scientific conference platform promoting research exchange in the green industry, held since 2008 with changing themes addressing current topics from science, education, politics, and society for universities, research institutes, and green industry professionals.
• Osnabrücker Sportplatztage (Osnabrück Sports Field Days) Specialized biennial conference on sports field planning, construction, and maintenance held at Hochschule Osnabrück since 2015, co-organized by FLL with Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft (BISp) and Playground + Landscape Verlag.
• FLL-Düngemitteldatenbank (FLL Fertilizer Database) Manufacturer-financed, standardized database of fertilizer products for the landscaping and sports turf industry, providing product-specific information aligned with fertilizer law and freely accessible to users.
• BIM in der Landschaftsarchitektur (BIM in Landscape Architecture) Conference Series Conference series on Building Information Modeling in landscape architecture addressing digital twin development and integration with AI and sustainability, held at Hochschule Osnabrück.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65 specialist committees covering all green industry fields, organized in 13 specialist categories
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Hochschule OsnabrückcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLL co-organizes the biennial Osnabrücker Sportplatztage with the Hochschule Osnabrück (Campus Haste), which has been held since 2015. The partnership also includes collaboration on the 3rd FLL-Fachtagung BIM in der Landschaftsarchitektur (2024) hosted at the university. Hochschule Osnabrück co-organizes research activities and hosts the BNF sustainability assessment system development.
• Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft (BISp)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBISp co-organizes the Osnabrücker Sportplatztage with FLL and provided research funding for the development of sustainability assessment systems for sports facilities (2015-2017). BISp has been a long-term research partner for landscape and sports facility standards.
• playground@landscape Verlag GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerplayground@landscape Verlag GmbH co-organizes the Osnabrücker Sportplatztage with FLL (since 2015) and was a cooperation partner for the Fachtagung Sichere Spielplätze (2026). The publisher specializes in playground and landscape professional content and serves as a media partner.
• Deutscher Golfverband (DGV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLL collaborated with DGV to develop the 'Richtlinie für den Bau von Golfplätzen' (Guidelines for Golf Course Construction) and the Fachbericht 'Golfanlagen als Teil der Kulturlandschaft – Planung und Genehmigung'. The DGV is listed as a co-developer of golf course construction standards.
• Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e. V. (DWA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLL collaborates with DWA and FGSV in the RWA 'Baumstandorte und Regenwasserbewirtschaftung' to jointly develop normative recommendations for tree sites in connection with urban and traffic planning and rainwater management. This is a three-way inter-association standards development partnership.
• Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen e. V. (FGSV)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLL collaborates with DWA and FGSV in the RWA 'Baumstandorte und Regenwasserbewirtschaftung' to jointly develop normative recommendations for integrating tree sites with urban planning and rainwater management. FGSV represents the road and transport research community.
• Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBfN has taken on the patronage (Schirmherrschaft) of the FLL-Forschungsforum Landschaft multiple times, including for the 8th (2023) and 9th (2025) editions. BfN is Germany's Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.
• Deutsche Rasengesellschaft (DRG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDRG sponsored the 9th FLL-Forschungsforum Landschaft (2025) as a supporter of the event, contributing to the funding of the conference.
• Fördererkreis Landschafts- & Sportplatzbauliche Forschung e. V. (FLSF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFLSF sponsored the 9th FLL-Forschungsforum Landschaft (2025) as a supporter of the conference, contributing to its funding.
• Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung e. V. (FN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFLL collaborated with FN to publish the 'Empfehlungen für Planung, Bau und Instandhaltung von Reitplätzen im Freien' (first published 2007, revised 2014). FN represents German equestrian sports and is a co-developer of riding arena standards.
• Hasso-Plattner-InstitutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hasso-Plattner-Institut delivered a keynote at the 3rd FLL-Fachtagung BIM in der Landschaftsarchitektur (2024) on the topic of AI and point clouds, contributing academic expertise to FLL's BIM events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BDLA (Bund Deutscher Landschaftsarchitektinnen und Landschaftsarchitekten): Professional association of German landscape architects. Listed as a partner that promotes FLL standards and offers member discounts at FLL events; closest professional-association peer.
• DWA (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall): German water and wastewater association. FLL co-develops the RWA 'Baumstandorte und Regenwasserbewirtschaftung' with DWA, making it a directly comparable standards developer in adjacent water/green infrastructure.
• BGL (Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau): German industry association for garden, landscape, and sports-field construction. Directly aligned with FLL's green-industry remit and a recognized FLL marketing/distribution partner.
• FGSV (Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen): German road and transportation research society. Partner with FLL and DWA in the RWA 'Baumstandorte und Regenwasserbewirtschaftung', and operates a comparable consensus-based technical standards model.
• ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) - Germany chapter: International arboriculture body with a German chapter. Comparable in offering tree-inspector certification and is explicitly listed as an FLL partner organization for joint promotion.
• DGGL (Deutsche Gartenbau-Gesellschaft): German horticultural society. Listed as a professional association partner that channels FLL standards and events to its membership, comparable in mission around green-industry knowledge dissemination.

Broad incumbents

• CEN (European Committee for Standardization): Pan-European standards body. Comparable as a higher-tier standards-setter whose work (e.g., EN 1176 for playgrounds) directly interacts with FLL guidelines and could either amplify or substitute for them.
• DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung): Germany's primary national standards body. FLL's ZTV and Richtlinien explicitly complement ATV DIN 18915–18919, making DIN a direct comparator as the broader national standards-setting organization.

Emerging players

• RAL (Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung): German quality-assurance and labeling institute. Comparable as a national body issuing quality marks and Gütezeichen that overlap with FLL's de facto standards authority in adjacent product categories.

Regional players

• SNEP (Syndicat National des Entreprises du Paysage, France): French national federation of landscape enterprises. The closest regional analog in continental Europe, operating comparable trade-body, training, and standard-promotion functions for the landscaping sector in France rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forschungsgesellschaft-landschaftsentwicklung-landschaftsbau-e-v-fll-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e.V. (FLL)