On 21 March 2010, Toyota Deutschland (TDG), together with the City of Cologne and RheinEnergie (a local water and energy supply company) began work on the Forest Lab project with the planting of the first trees. The Forest Lab is part of a larger scheme by the City of Cologne which will create and expand the forests that surround Germany’s fourth largest city.
Pictured at the planting of the first trees in the Forest Lab are the Mayor of Cologne, Jürgen Roters; the President of TDG, Toshiaki Yasuda; and the CEO of RheinEnergie, Dr. Dieter Steinkamp.
The Forest Lab project will enhance the existing green belt of the City and is located near the TDG headquarters in Cologne. More than 70,000 trees will be planted in the forest, of which Toyota will contribute around 10,000. The Forest Lab is designed to be both a recreational and educational area. It will be used to study the positive effects generated by a forest that surrounds an urban area, the adaptability of new types of trees to the changing world climate as well as the use of trees as renewable resources.
