Danpol plants the future – our forest actions of 2021 and 2022
For more than three decades, transport boxes and wooden packaging signed with the Danpol logo have been produced in Delowa. Each one bears the mark of craftsmanship, experience and deep respect for the raw material we work with every day. In a company where wood is at the core of the business, concern for the environment is not a fashionable add-on, but a natural consequence of what we have been doing since 1990.
Therefore, when the opportunity arose to support the reconstruction of Pomeranian forests, Danpol entered the game without hesitation. We chose the simplest and at the same time the most demanding way: to grab our picks and spades, roll up our sleeves and dig tens of thousands of seedlings into the ground with our own hands. This is how the #DanpolSadzi project was born, thanks to which we have written a completely new green paragraph in the landscape of Pomerania over the course of two spring seasons.
Why are we planting forests?
A jubilee that motivates
The turning point of three decades of activity prompted us to look for a gesture beyond ceremonial speeches and commemorative statuettes. The original concept was for three thousand seedlings – as many symbolic ‘jubilee guests’ as Danpol wanted to invite into the forest. It soon became clear that we could – and should – aim higher.
A disaster that cries out for help
In the summer of 2017, a powerful windstorm swept through Pomerania and Kujawy, breaking and uprooting whole swathes of forest. In the Lipusz Forest District – barely a dozen kilometres from our plants – 80 per cent of the stands were destroyed. When you work with wood every day, such an image of emptiness is particularly moving.
A chance for real action
Thanks to many years of contact with private landowners affected by the disaster, we received an invitation to reforest what foresters call fresh forest: poor, sandy soils naturally dominated by pine with a mixture of birch. We have chosen exactly these species – Scots pine, silver birch and some European larch – to restore the habitat to its original equilibrium and at the same time increase biodiversity.
This is how three threads intertwined: the company’s anniversary, the need to rebuild after the elements and the opportunity to put our expertise into practice. From combining these threads , the #DanpolSadzi project was born .
A disaster that cries out for help
The turning point of three decades of activity prompted us to look for a gesture beyond ceremonial speeches and commemorative statuettes. The original concept was for three thousand seedlings – as many symbolic ‘jubilee guests’ as Danpol wanted to invite into the forest. It soon became clear that we could – and should – aim higher.
Danpol Sadzi
Planting Action 2021
Tree planting campaign (2021 – 2022)
Spring 2021 – the first step
In April 2021, Danpol’s ten-person team set out for a private plot in Bory Tucholskie to plant twenty thousand trees into the ground on an approx. 2 ha of fresh forest, with the help of spades and buckets full of seedlings. The focus was primarily on pine; birch and larch appeared as punctuated ‘islands’ of diversity, breaking up the homogeneous structure of the future stand. This initiative was recorded by a camera, which resulted in a short film later shared on our social media.
Spring 2022 – continued
A year later, on 23 April, we returned to a neighbouring quarter of the same plot but in a much larger group. The species composition and working method remained the same. Another 2ha awaited us, which was planted with a further twenty thousand seedlings. Instead of a film, an extensive photo report was produced: frames full of smiles, the smell of resin and the satisfaction of a job well done.
Danpol Sadzi
Planting Action 2022
Partnership with local owners
The #DanpolSadzi actions, from the first idea to the last spade driven, were independently designed by our company. We contacted directly the owner of a private plot of land in the Tuchola Forest region, which had suffered during the 2017 storm, and together we agreed on the best way to rehabilitate the area. The landlord provided prepared land, seedlings, professional instruction and a meal and tools while Danpol provided hands ready to work, smiles on faces and an amazing atmosphere.
This approach allowed us to act flexibly and quickly, matching the dates to the landowners’ capabilities and the forestry work calendar. As a result, each edition was intimate and neighbourly: the landowners accompanied us throughout the #DanpolSadzi campaign, sharing stories from before the storm, and Danpol employees were able to see with their own eyes how sapling after sapling was reborn into a forest.
Danpol Sadzi
Audit 2023
Effects and follow-up
The restoration of more than 4 hectares of fresh forest means not only the return of greenery to the Tuchola Forest landscape, but also a measurable contribution to climate protection: according to the State Forests, one hectare of mature forest absorbs an average of 4-5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, which at our scale translates into around 16-20 tonnes of CO₂ less in the atmosphere each year. In addition, new afforestation stabilises sandy soils and improves natural water retention, allowing the land to recover more quickly from extreme weather events.
For Danpol, environmental benefits meet closed-loop business logic. We recover and recycle post-consumer wood on a daily basis, reducing pressure on forest resources. Planting new trees closes this cycle, ensuring that the wood we work with comes from an ecosystem that we are simultaneously helping to regenerate.
However, the effect that the #DanpolSadzi actions had on the team cannot be overstated. Working together in the field has allowed production and office staff to work hand in hand, fostering a sense of community that can be difficult to achieve in the daily routine. It is the people – ‘the heart of our company’, as the company catalogue emphasises – who return from the forest with renewed energy and motivation.
After both editions were completed, we did not leave the forest alone. In the spring of 2023 and 2024, Danpol teams – involving the same employees who planted the trees – returned to the plots to inspect the growth and health of the young trees. The inspections are carried out according to the foresters’ recommendations: we assess the survival rate of the seedlings, the degree of density and any damage caused by game. The results so far have been very good: we estimate that more than 90 % of the plants have taken root in both plots, and that the growth of the pine trees has already exceeded 35 cm on average. Thanks to regular measurements, we can react quickly – e.g. protect the youngster with shelters or replant missing pieces – which ensures that the forest capital developed in 2021-2022 will grow healthily for decades to come.
After two editions, we see that the initiative has real traction. That is why we are treating #DanpolSadzi as an open project – we will return to the forest as long as there are places in need of restoration and people ready to grab a spade. After all, environmental responsibility is not a one-off gesture, but a process that – like a sapling – grows with us.
Danpol Sadzi
Audit 2025
Summary
The #DanpolSadzi story is proof that environmental responsibility and everyday business can support each other. The team, which works on the daily production of transport boxes, has already planted forty thousand trees, bringing four hectares of fresh forest back to life. For the environment, this means a future stable stand of trees capable of absorbing carbon dioxide and protecting the soil; for the people, new memories, stronger connections and a sense of real impact on their surroundings.
If you are the owner of an area damaged by the storm or simply want to join the #DanpolSadzi campaign, please get in touch – together we will make Pomerania sound again the hum of pines and light up with spring greenery. Responsibility for the environment is not a duty but a privilege, which – like a sapling – is best nurtured in good company.
