Ditches and ditches in the northernmost part of the Dwingelderveld will be filled in in the coming months. It is one of the most important measures that Staatsbosbeheer can still take in the nature reserve to make the area wetter.
Due to climate change, the wet heathland has dried out in recent decades. The area is dry for large parts of the year, causing heather to dry out, fens to dry out and plant species to disappear.
“There is so little of this nature left in the world that we have to intervene now,” says ranger Jojanneke Drijver. “This is originally a very wet area that is becoming increasingly drier. This is vulnerable nature with very special plant species that cannot tolerate this.”
This includes various peat moss. “This is a type of moss that lives on water,” said the ranger. “But with this measure we also hope that, for example, the crane, which now breeds on the large silent heath, will soon also breed at the Witteveen.”
The north of the Dwingelderveld, between Lheebroek and Smalbroek, was previously a forestry area. “There are ditches here that were intended to ensure that the trees kept their feet dry,” Drijver explains. But due to the dehydration of the area, Staatsbosbeheer is doing everything it can to retain rainwater for longer, which is important for the groundwater level.
According to Staatsbosbeheer, this is important to prevent the dehydration of sandy soils in Drenthe. By restoring the system, nature becomes more robust and better able to withstand a blow. For example, it can better absorb the consequences of dehydration due to climate change and is more resistant to the current excessive nitrogen precipitation.