Black -blown wood, dry bushes, charred tree trunks. Last weekend, many hectares of forest and nature went up in smoke with the destructive nature fire in the De Loonse and Drunense Duinen National Park last weekend. Forester Annette den Dulk will be defeated on Monday morning between the smoking mess.
There is no more blade of grass in the nature reserve of six hundred by seven hundred meters where the sea of flames caused major damage. The bottom layer is completely black. “Look, you can see from the tree trunks that the flames have reached one meter high,” says Annette. “Fortunately, the trees are still green above that.”
How large the damage is for the different plant and animal species is still difficult to say. Everything has to be mapped by nature moments.
“Mice that live underground have no chance.”
“A deer, which takes the legs in a fire. But mice that live underground do not seem like a chance,” Annette explains.
It is currently breeding season and the maternity room has had a big blow in this part of the dunes, she says. “Especially with birds that breed on the ground, such as the Boompieper. There is also a Ravennest in the area. We hope that they have been able to get away on time.”
“You will see that the pipe strand will soon be out again.”
The destruction is great, but nature is resilient, the forester knows. “On the ground, the pipe straw is growing (a plant from the grass family, ed.) And that is very fire -sensitive, but at the same time also goes well on nitrogen. In a fire, a lot of nitrogen is released, so you will see that the pipe straw starts to shoot again in a week or so.”
The damage is confronting for the forester of Natuurmonumenten. “Our heart lies in protecting nature, and if you see this like this, I can howl. I will hold on to the birds that I hear now whistling, that there is still life,” she says.
