Hamburg environmental group rallies to stop Elbwald tree removal

The association Elbwald retten, led by Franz Hermann and former sea captain Ulf Wolter, has launched a popular petition to block the planned clearing of the Elbwald – a forest of more than 350 poplars, willows, oaks and other trees along the Bubendey‑Ufer in Hamburg. The woodland, described as a “green lung” between the port’s container cranes and the Airbus plant, is slated for removal as part of the harbour’s western expansion.

The campaign seeks to persuade the Hamburg Senate and the Hamburgische Bürgerschaft to halt the felling. A successful petition in Hamburg requires at least 10,000 signatures. By branding the area as “Elbwald” and securing media coverage, the group has turned the effort into a broad public movement, aiming to protect the forest and influence local policy.