KUDOKE hands on

Last December the original film watch of the Hollywood crime story „Last Looks“ had been auctioned off by Philipps auction house in New York. 

You can find everything you need to know about this exciting story here.

But what happened afterwards?

Continuation: KUDOKE reforests

The idea was to have the original film watch auctioned off in order to use the proceeds to support reforestation projects in the spirit of the movie hero. But why go far away when what is needed is so close? In our region, Upper Lusatia, we have also lost many forest stands due to the prolonged drought and associated pest infestation.

So at the beginning of 2023, we met with our local mayor Kathrin Gessel and the district forester Norman Schaller to forge a plan for the sensible use of the funds in the region.

We quickly agreed on a first forest area for reforestation: At an idyllically situated, small reservoir in the municipality of Steinigtwolmsdorf, communal forest had to be cleared due to bark beetle infestation. We were already familiar with this forest, as our children often came here to play with the nearby kindergarten. The fact that this affectionately called “magic forest” was now to disappear was not only sad for the children, but also the “older” residents, as it is a popular destination for excursions and a place to relax.

So we decided to turn this “magic forest“ back into one for the next generation. And in a special way, because Mr. Schaller suggested planting tree species here that would otherwise most likely never have grown in this location but are nevertheless well adapted to the impending climatic changes. The idea was to create an experimental forest with trees such as whitty pear, hickory, sessile oak, Turkish fir and sweet chestnut.

From plan to action

But “only” providing the financial means was not enough for us. And so we all met at the little dam at the end of October to plant trees under the guidance of the district forester and provide them with wildlife protection fences. Just in time for the start of the work, it stopped raining and the sun came out.

The KUDOKE team swapped magnifying glasses and tweezers for spades and axes  for the day. Everyone brought their families along, so we pitched in across the generations. Our mayor Ms. Gessel, the local biathlon and history club also helped diligently and within three hours all young trees had found their new location. 

We would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment and support. It was a great experience to be able to help shape our home in such an hands-on and long-term way.

Now we hope that the trees will grow and flourish well and that we can meet again in 30 years’ time in the same place to enjoy the reclaimed “magic” forest.

Fortunately, patience is an important virtue of every good watchmaker 😉

To download our press release and high-resolution images, please visit our press area.