The 13,000 conifers that are cut down in the dune area north of Bergen aan Zee are of “good quality”, dune manager PWN told NH. This means that they can be used for residential construction as desired.
The more than 16 hectares of coniferous forest along the Lange Vlak, near the Verspyckweg north of Bergen aan Zee, must disappear to get the dunes there moving again. Removing those trees creates a larger passage for the wind towards the dune area behind it.
According to PWN, more than sixty hectares of dune nature near the coastal village are not doing well. “This is due to too much nitrogen in the soil and too little sand and salt from the coast. In a healthy dune area, the wind has free rein.” The work results from the Natura 2000 management plan, commissioned by the province.
In anticipation of the large-scale felling, 27 pine trees were cut down at the end of August. This ‘test cut’ is intended to determine the quality of the wood. “It would be a shame if the wood ended up in the bio-power plant,” Niels Hogeweg of dune manager PWN said earlier.
Houses, piles and chipboard
“In the past, the wood went to mining, which is why this forest was once planted. Now a lot of wood goes into the oven and that is of course not sustainable at all. It would be fantastic if the felled trees could be used for housing in Area.”
And that wish came true. “At least two houses will be built from pine wood in the Bergen region,” Gert Jan Vreken of PWN told NH. “Some will also be used as piles and some will be processed into OSB, pressed chipboard, and will therefore also be used sustainably in construction.”
The felling of the forest is planned for later this month. Earlier objections against (the consequences of) cutting down the pine trees have been declared unfounded by the judge.