Credit: Fondation Hëllef fir d’Natur
Ahead of National Tree Day in Luxembourg, environmental association Fondation Hëllef fir d’Natur has launched an appeal to fund four specific tree planting projects and is also offering readers of Chronicle.lu the opportunity to win one of 20 hiking guides.
Organised by the foundation, National Tree Day brings together local authorities and partners every year to plant trees and restore landscapes. It unites individuals, businesses and local authorities around a shared goal: more trees for a more vibrant, interconnected and resilient natural environment.
For the 2026 edition, which takes place on Saturday 21 November, 34 local authorities and thirteen of the foundation’s partners have registered their planting projects: orchards, hedgerows, individual trees and reforestation schemes carried out across the country, from north to south and east to west.
Hëllef fir d’Natur says that every tree planted helps to restore landscapes that are more vibrant, more interconnected and more resilient and is inviting individuals, businesses and local authorities to take action.
Under the slogan “Because every tree counts”, the foundation is appealing for donations to fund four specific planting projects, spread across its protected areas throughout Luxembourg.
“Hedgerows, orchards, solitary trees, forests: these habitats shape our landscapes and are home to precious biodiversity. Trees store carbon in their biomass and in the soil, regulate the water cycle, stabilise the ground through their roots, and connect habitats, providing refuge and protection for wildlife. In the context of climate change, they strengthen the resilience of our landscapes”, said the foundation.
Four projects, four ways to take action
1. Hedgerows — €50: Much more than just a living fence, a hedge forms an ecological corridor: insects, birds and small mammals find shelter, food and a route from one habitat to another there. For €50, you can help fund one metre of hedge, which helps to better connect landscapes and support greater biodiversity. (Donation information)
2. Woodland — €100: Forests store CO₂ and help landscapes become more resilient to climate change. With €100, you can help plant 50 m² of forest, complete with protective measures to help the young trees become firmly established. (Donation information)
3. Solitary trees — €150: Standing alone in a meadow or on the edge of woodland, a solitary tree enriches the landscape, connects habitats and provides shade for wildlife. A donation of €150 will enable us to plant and protect a tree that will shape the landscape for decades to come. (Donation information)
4. Fruit trees — €200: Apple, pear and cherry trees: orchards are home to heritage varieties and provide numerous habitats for wildlife. For €200, you can help to plant and protect a fruit tree and help to preserve this living heritage. (Donation information)
Every donation helps to fund the planting and the protective measures that enable the young trees to become firmly established.
Competition
To win one of the hiking guides, printed in English, simply answer the following four questions:
1) How many tree-planting projects can one support with a donation?
2) How long has the foundation been in existence?
3) Who is behind the National Tree Day in Luxembourg?
4) How many local authorities will take part in National Tree Day 2026?
Answers should be sent to editor@chronicle.lu with the title “National Tree Day Competition” and include your full name and contact telephone number.
The competition closes after National Tree Day on Saturday 21 November and winners will be contacted with details on how to collect their hiking guide.
About Fondation Hëllef fir d’Natur
Since 1982, under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Fondation Hëllef fir d’Natur has been protecting biodiversity in Luxembourg. It acquires rare biotopes and land with high ecological potential, restores degraded habitats and manages nature reserves on a sustainable basis.
Today, around thirty experts spread across four offices oversee nearly 2,000 hectares of protected land on a day-to-day basis:
• Forests: 996 hectares
• Wetlands: 642 hectares
• Meadows: 206 hectares
• Dry grasslands: 102 hectares
• Orchards: 59 hectares
• Hedgerows: 56 hectares
Each habitat has its own species and requirements; it is this diversity that the foundation strives to preserve, plot by plot, thanks to the support of its donors.
