The Duinstichting has nothing good to say about the proposed felling of the pine forest in the North Holland Dune Reserve near Bergen aan Zee. Yesterday, the province and area manager PWN announced that 16 hectares must disappear to allow the dunes to drift. The plans do not go well with the foundation. “And it goes against previous agreements with the province.”
Tree felling Bergen aan Zee
Nature manager PWN is going to remove 16 hectares of pine forest north of Bergen aan Zee on behalf of the province. That equates to about 13,000 trees. The cap is necessary to allow the dunes to drift again.
“The trees form a windbreak, which means that the dunes are not doing well. Too little sand and salt from the coast means too much nitrogen gets into the soil,” the province and PWN say. The removed trees are compensated at a different location.
“We got wind of the plans at Bergen aan Zee a few months ago, and we immediately protested verbally at PWN,” explains Engelbregt. “Just like in the Schoorl dunes, we are against felling because of the present flora and fauna. And we also fight for the visitors to the area who enjoy the forests, the shelter, shade and scent.”
Agreements violated
According to Engelbregt, the plans presented yesterday are also a violation of agreements with the province. “It has been agreed with Commissioner Esther Rommel that during this management period, until the autumn of 2023, there will be no more felling along the coast.”
“That appointment was made as a result of our citizens’ initiative in 2019. It was then agreed that the effect of felling pine forest in the Schoorl dunes would first be evaluated before further steps were taken. That evaluation has not yet been completed.”
According to the Dune Foundation, important parts are therefore missing in the plan to remove pines north of Bergen aan Zee. “We will soon be meeting with PWN again. If it turns out that this plan goes ahead, we will go to the commissioner.”
Objection
It is not yet possible to formally object to the cap. “You can only object to (logging) permits. The municipality still has to provide them. We have asked not to do that,” explains Engelbregt. PWN wants next spring those permits. The cap is planned for the end of 2023.