The project A Grafted Future by Camilla Berner was activated on 13 November 2025, through the planting of eight young trees at the forest of Bücken, close to Hohenlockstedt. Together with forester Björn Berling, saplings of silver fir and beech, raised in the local tree nursery, were planted directly on and into old tree trunks — an experimental method that might offer protection from deer and small rodents while potentially accelerating growth through the remaining root structures of the former old trees. Each planting site was documented photographically and marked with GPS coordinates, forming the basis for an ongoing observation of the trees' development over time.

Berling’s forest management principles shape this landscape. His approach emphasizes self-seeding processes over intensive intervention (like fencing), with human involvement focused on creating favourable constellations for young plants: opening sunlit gaps in the canopy, and regulating wildlife populations through hunting. Forestry is inherently inter-generational, working with what previous generations have left behind while preparing the forest for those to come.

Berner’s project makes this long-range, quietly collaborative practice visible. A Grafted Future highlights the intricate coordination between soil, plants, animals, fungi, insects, and human caretaking that underpins resilient forest ecologies. The experiment will be traced in the years to come, whether — and how — these carefully placed saplings take root and grow. Photographs from the planting will be shown in the upcoming Winter Assembly, linking the forest’s slow transformations to the exhibition space.