On Saturday, part of the A10 will turn into a green oasis for one day. A temporary birthday forest is laid out for the anniversary party on the Ring, consisting of no fewer than 750 adult trees. From a nursery in Cuijk in Brabant, they are transported to Amsterdam in an impressive procession of around thirty trailers.
Responsible for the entire operation is project leader Sofie Ebben, under her supervision all trees must be transported undamaged from A to B. The project is such a big task that Ebben is talking about a ‘military operation’.
All trees are carefully loaded on a large trailer one by one. To get as many trees as possible on the trailer at the same time, they are laid on their side and then firmly tied up. The smaller trees are on the back and the larger trees in front, the trees protrude as little as possible. The bins in which the trees are in are well drained for the journey, to ensure that the trees will be able to cope with the tropical heat of next Saturday.
Elm
Of all the trees, according to Ebben, one is the most special: “The big elm is very special and has a special connection with Amsterdam, the whole city used to be full of it.” There are already more than 75,000 elms in Amsterdam, the species is very suitable for Amsterdam. It can handle high groundwater, counteracts air pollution and is very resistant to paving and continuous roadworks.
Landscape artist Bruno Doedens is responsible for the idea and the performance of the birthday forest. For him it’s not just about trees on a highway, but about imagination, wonder and the feeling that everything is possible. “The coolest thing is that we realize something that is actually not possible at all,” says Doedens. “As a result, people think: wow. If we can do this, we can achieve much more.”
Shadow and cooling
The project is inspired by his earlier ‘walking forest’ in Leeuwarden, and now he wants to show what green can mean for a city. By smartly positioning the trees on the edges of the highway and in between, visitors can really imagine themselves in a forest. In the middle there will be a wide path and the trees provide the necessary shade where people can look for a while. When asked where he would prefer to see the trees being planted after the party on the ring, Doedens answers: “Why should we not make the dam greener?”
Tree campsite
After the party, the adventure of the trees is not over yet. They are temporarily parked on a so-called ‘tree campsite’ in the Riekerpark in Amsterdam-West, at a residential location for students and status holders of Lieven De Key. From November, around 80 percent of the large trees are spread in empty tree mirrors throughout the city, from north to Weesp.
Thanks to GPS trackers, the trees can be followed via trees.amsterdam.nl. Thousands of smaller trees are also distributed to Amsterdammers during the annual ‘trees for Amsterdam’ event of the Sustainability Organization De Healthy City. For those who want to flee the hectic pace on 21 June: get into the forest briefly, and be surprised by 750 trees that shoot in the middle of the A10 root for one day.