The Integrate Network congratulates the German Research Institute for Post-Mining Landscapes (FIB) for winning first place in the “Wissen der Vielen – Research Award for Citizen Science 2025”. The award honours outstanding scientific achievements in the use of Citizen Science approaches. FIB’s project “PlanBirke plus C – Citizens Explore Forest Change” convinced the jury with its innovative collaboration between scientists and citizens to study climate impacts, biodiversity, and water balance functions in changing forests. The PlanBirke plus C project demonstrates the power of “science with society” – where shared curiosity and commitment yield knowledge essential for future-oriented, climate-resilient forestry.
At the heart of the project lies the common birch (Betula pendula) – a pioneer tree species often underestimated in forestry but crucial for the ecological resilience of mixed forests. Through the PlanBirke app and “citizen laboratories” in the Ruhr area, South Brandenburg and North Saxony, volunteers contributed valuable field data on carbon storage, water dynamics, and biodiversity, helping researchers understand how birch forests respond to drought and climate stress.
The European Forest Institute (EFI) supported the project through the Integrate Network by establishing two Marteloscope sites in Gelsenkirchen – in the Industriewald Rheinelbe and Naturwald Gelsenkirchen. These living forest classrooms provided unique opportunities to simulate forest management decisions and assess their ecological outcomes also to the PlanBirke project.
Further information on the Citizen Science Award can be found via the organizers’ Website , LinkedIN, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram (in German).
Featured image: Pilze Birke Holzbewohnende – Kostenloses Foto auf Pixabay