Employee Foundation of the VKR Group helps forests with WOWnature

Guided by its mission to care for people, the Employee Foundation of the VKR Group supports employees, their families, and local communities in the areas where VKR Group companies operate. Since 1991, the Employee Foundation has supported VKR Group employees, their immediate family members, and local communities around the world. With more than 12,000 grants awarded, the Foundation has helped thousands of employees facing personal hardship and illness, while also supporting their children’s education.

The Employee Foundation also funds local non-profit projects in communities close to VKR Group locations, with the aim of enhancing public spaces, nature, education, and sports.

Special programmes such as Reconnect with Nature promote well-being, volunteering, and community engagement. It is through the Reconnect with Nature programme that the Employee Foundation of the VKR Group funded the project “From wounds to wonder: rebuild, reforest, reconnect. A journey of recovery and learning in the Dolomites.”

The project was created to contribute to the regeneration of an area severely affected by Storm Vaia in 2018 and the subsequent spread of the European spruce bark beetle. The initiative includes the creation of the Forest of Stars, with the planting of 15,000 diverse native trees, the restoration of approximately 800 metres of the historic trail connecting Valmaggiore and Moregna Lake, and the development of an educational trail focused on astronomy and climate change, featuring VKR shelters.

Through these activities, the project aims to restore forest biodiversity and resilience, improve access to and enjoyment of the area, and create new opportunities for people to reconnect with nature.

ati, il ripristino di circa 800 metri dello storico sentiero tra Valmaggiore e il Lago di Moregna e la realizzazione di un percorso educativo dedicato all’astronomia e ai cambiamenti climatici, arricchito dai rifugi VKR.

Attraverso queste attività, il progetto mira a ripristinare la biodiversità e la resilienza del bosco, migliorare la fruibilità del territorio e creare nuove opportunità per le persone di riconnettersi con la natura.