Elms, beavers and woodcocks in Het Groene Woud: results for 2024-2025

Since 2020, Trees for All has been working in partnership with ARK Nature on expanding the scarce loam forests in Het Groene Woud. This beautiful area in North Brabant is home to all sorts of unique plants and animals. Thanks to the support of our donors, we were able to plant 131,222 new trees there last winter. This will create a biodiverse and climate-proof loam forest where nature can develop further. And the best news of all is that the young forest is already growing strong!

New loam forests in North Brabant

The Dutch loam forests are known as the ‘treasure trove of biodiversity’. Thanks to their damp soil, they support a wide variety of plant and animal life. They also play a very important role in the battle against climate change and increasing drought, as they retain a lot of water and sequester carbon. Loam forests are scarce in the Netherlands, so it’s important to protect and expand them.

We’re doing so in Het Groene Woud by planting new forests on former agricultural land, in partnership with ARK. This links up fragmented natural areas and, step by step, creates an unbroken habitat for all sorts of plants and animals, including wild cats, red-backed shrikes and tree frogs, and maybe even otters soon.

More than 30 species of tree planted

Last planting season, we planted more than 30 different species of native trees and shrubs. They include the English oak, alder buckthorn, black poplar, blackthorn and goat willow. All these species are indigenous to the area.

This variety is extremely important. If one species suffers from extreme weather conditions, for example, or from a disease, then the other trees ensure that the forest as a whole remains intact. Moreover, a varied forest attracts more living things, ranging from birds and insects to mammals and fungi. That’s good for biodiversity and for a healthy forest that can take knocks both now and in the future!

One special species of tree we’ve planted is the European white elm. Whilst this distinctive tree is completely at home in this region, there were only around 25 mature elms left in Het Groene Woud. Thanks to your support, many young saplings have now been added – and with great success. They’re growing well and some of them have already reached a height of almost half a metre!

During our field visit in July 2025, the young trees were in full leaf. Some willows have already grown 1.5 metres!

This is how the trees are doing now

The other trees are developing really well too. Like the European white elms, the black poplars have also grown almost half a metre already. The willows are shooting up, and some have grown 1.5 metres! The first berries have appeared on the alder buckthorn and the birds are eating them.

As we’re planting trees on loam soil, the trees have hardly suffered from the extremely dry springtime, as this type of soil retains water really well. This is one reason why very few trees have been lost. 

From woodcock to beaver: a forest full of life

Animals and plants have now discovered the new forest as well. The new links between natural areas have made it easier for animals to move around, in search of food and congeners.

Beavers, wild cats and even wolves have been spotted already. Various birds are coming to the forest too, such as the honey buzzard, woodcock, raven and reed warbler. And as the reeds are no longer being cut in some places, even the marsh warbler has returned. So not only is the forest growing, but so is the biodiversity.

Giving space to nature

It’s no coincidence that the forest is attracting so much wildlife. Our partner ARK is letting nature do its own thing in part, and actually not planting trees in some places. Ditches are being filled in to improve the water retention of the soil. ARK is also putting dead wood down in some places, so that fungi and good bacteria can grow on it. This is good for a healthy forest soil, so that the young forest gets off to a great start!