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trees and bushes
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period of planting
Why is this project necessary?
In the past several decades, many trees and hedges have disappeared from the countryside. Hedges, for instance, used to be there to separate fields or to keep cattle inside a meadow. Nowadays they have been replaced by barbed wire or disappeared as a result of urban extension or agricultural increase in scale. In the last century alone, 225 million meters of hedge have gone lost.
The disappearance of all this green has tremendous consequences for plants and animals in the countryside. During the last 50 years the number of insect species has deteriorated by 70%. Birds, mammals and fish are under great pressure.
Environment-friendly farming
The impact is strong, for people as well. Trees and bushes absorb CO2 and so combat global warming. They provide oxygen, clean air, water and nutrition plus fertile soil. By the way, did you know that certain animals counter pests and diseases in a natural manner? Bats, birds or ichneumon flies, for example, eat the oak processionary caterpillar. In this way, landscape elements do their bit to environment-friendly farming
In short, as far as we’re concerned it is high time to start greening the countryside again.
Examples of landscape elements, such as 1) windbreaks and 2) hedges (by Marcel Post)
How to realize this?
We are going to plant 37,825 trees and bushes, in co-operation with Brabants Landschap and this foundation’s volunteers. The teams of volunteers play an important part in this project. They make arrangements with the landowners about plantation and management of trees and bushes. These may be municipalities, but also private landowners.
Then Brabant Landscape judges these locations. Are the landscape elements suitable in this spot? Is the owner capable of providing sufficient aftercare and maintain the plantation? On assent a team of volunteers can collect the planting material during a special collection day and trees and bushes can be planted.
Local involvement
Planting landscape elements via local teams of volunteers makes for much support and enthusiasm. Many volunteers plant a personal tree and feel long-lasting involvement with the site. Volunteers, it appears, know how to put in their local network very well, uncovering planting sites otherwise remaining hidden. Thus we are making the Netherlands as green as possible!
Brabants Landschap organized comparable activities in 2020 and 2021. And successfully so! Within the space of two years 80,000 trees and bushes were planted by 44 teams of volunteers in 90 locations. At Trees for All we like to back volunteers up in order to make this year as successful at least.
1) bloody dogwood 2) common hazel, 3) guelder rose, 4) horn beam, 5) briar rose, 6) black elder
Welke bomen en struiken planten we?
We will plant trees and hedges in various locations in the province of Noord Brabant. On the basis of the location, the team of volunteers decide which landscape elements will suit it and what trees and bushes will be planted. This could e.g. be a windbreak (of at least 100 m2), a thicket hedge (of at least 50 m in length) or a bird coppice (minimally 100 m2).
The indigenous types of trees and bushes to be planted are for instance black alder, horn beam, common oak, common hazel, hawthorn, bird cherry, alder buckthorn, briar rose, mountain ash, sweet cherry, bloody dogwood, and guelder rose. All species which naturally belong in the Brabant landscape.
This project of Trees for All contributes to several
Sustainable Development Goals
Where are we going to plant?
We will plant trees and hedges in rural areas, on land owned by municipalities and by private owners.This will be done in various locations in the province of Noord Brabant.
Our partners
Within this project we work together with Brabants Landschap and this foundation’s volunteers. In total, over 2,000 volunteers are active for Brabant Landscape, spread across all sorts of working teams. A number of these teams are involved in this project. Besides, we also co-operate with landowners, such as municipalities and private people. They receive our support for conservation and maintenance of the landscape elements. Finally, part of the project expenses are financed by Postcode Loterij (Plan Boom).
“Also thanks to Trees for All we will again be able to plant a great number of trees and bushes in the Brabant countryside in January of 2023. Various teams of volunteers will construct wooded banks, windbreaks and bird coppices for private owners and farmers in the countryside, making the landscape greener, fresher and healthier and rendering important advantages to biodiversity.”
Mark Benders, project leader Brabants Landschap maintenance