Greening up the municipality of Land van Cuijk

What makes this project necessary?

The project in the municipality of Land van Cuijk is twofold. On the one hand we will restore the forest on a former cross-country track. On the other hand we will plant new trees in order to expand existing forests.

1. Forest restoration on a former cross-country track

On the former cross-country track there are Norway spruce, cut through by dirt tracks. Unfortunately, the spruce are slowly dying as a result of gnawing by the European spruce bark beetle, which severely affects the trees. That is why we want to restore the Norway spruce forest. This can be done by planting back varied species of trees, as a varied forest is better able to resist the effects of the changing climate, such as diseases, pests or drought. Should one type of tree be heavily affected, the other species will keep up the forest.

2. New forest on grassland

The other plan is to plant new forest on some bare grassland bordering on an existing forest. The natural value of this sheet is very low: it harbors very little variety of plants and animals. In order to bring its nature back to life, we also want to plant various species of trees and bushes. Our choice will be of those species which are natural to the region, so that the trees and bushes will attract all sorts of birds, insects and mammals. As a result, the area will be teeming with life again!

How to realize this?

These are our two targets in this project:

• Planting 5,000 trees in the former cross-country track. If we don’t plant new species of trees, the spruce will grow back. By planting back new species which are indigenous to the area, the forest will turn out stronger and more resilient. For example, we are going to plant: beech, hornbeam, pussy willow, small-leaved lime, quaking aspen, black elderberry, juniper and Scotch broom: all indigenous to this area.
• Planting 2,165 trees and bushes in the grassland. In this way, we will expand the amount of forest further and we make sure that plants and animals in this location are given plenty of space to live in. What is more, the bushes will be placed on the verges of the parcel, thus creating a beautiful change from the surrounding meadows to the existing forest. Among other species, we will plant wild cherry, black elderberry, rowan or mountain-ash and sloe.

This project of Trees for All contributes to several
Sustainable Development Goals

Our project partners

Within this project, we co-operate with the municipality of Land van Cuijk and green-consultancy Orbis. The municipality owns the grounds and is responsible for the planting and its management. Orbis has done the designing and planned the realization. Thanks to our benefactors’ support, Trees for All will be able to make sure the trees are actually planted. Besides, we will remain involved in monitoring the forest in the long run.