Structural Change in the Central German Mining Region: As coal-fired power plants are phased out and coal mining ceases, jobs are lost—affecting both rural communities and urban areas. At the same time, there are many landscapes with untapped potential waiting to be discovered. One example of such landscapes can be found on the open-pit mining sites of MIBRAG GmbH in Profen. For several years now, fast-growing poplar trees have been cultivated here on reclaimed open-pit mining sites in the form of short-rotation plantations to harness ecological benefits for agricultural crops and unlock additional value-added potential.
As part of the DiP-SMART Agroforestry project, intensive collaboration is now being pursued in the context of these short-rotation plantations. Specifically, this involves monitoring the effects of short-rotation plantations on soil health and microclimate, digitally and UAV-based mapping of various tree characteristics and growth rates, as well as the development of potential material flows toward the chemical industry.
To coordinate with MIBRAG GmbH and the land managers, our colleagues, Dr Mike Teucher and Jan Lukas Wenzel were on site on April 13, 2026. We thank MIBRAG GmbH for their interest in our work and look forward to a constructive collaboration.
