The judge in Haarlem also thought it was a ‘special’ case. The two parties, dune manager PWN and the Duinstichting, both want the same thing; prevent irreversible damage to the dune area in Bergen. Nature lovers are diametrically opposed to each other about how. While PWN wants to cut down 13,000 trees as quickly as possible, the Dune Foundation is trying to prevent the cutting in the preliminary relief judge.
No less than a thousand euros per tree with a maximum of ten million. The province of North Holland, if it were up to the Dune Foundation, would have to pay this if the dune manager PWN, on behalf of the province, starts felling 16 hectares of coniferous forest in the dune area near Bergen aan Zee in October.
The penalty is there for a reason, the Duinstichting wants a quick ruling from the preliminary relief judge before it is too late. The felling is planned for October and preparations are already in full swing. There is an objection procedure underway at the province of North Holland, but it will take some time before it is completed. “Then the damage has already been done and the trees are gone,” said the lawyer for the Dune Foundation.
Acidification
Dune manager PWN and the province of North Holland, on the other hand, are also in a hurry. The trees must disappear to… dunes are drifting again to get. By removing the forest, a larger passage is created for the wind towards the underlying dune area. In this way, calcareous sand and salt are blown into the dunes, which are necessary to combat soil acidification. In this way, biodiversity would be increased.
“If the dunes become acidic, aluminum can be released into the soil,” emphasized ecologist Niels Hogeweg of PWN. “That is toxic and causes irreparable damage. There are already places where the acidity is already below the critical limit. This is the last measure we can take. We have to get to work quickly.”
‘Scaremongering’
But according to Joke Volkers, chairman of the Duinstichting, this is all ‘scaremongering’ and PWN must first come up with evidence. “That nature is on the verge of death is really a nonsense story, as confirmed by many experts we spoke to. They are being very dramatic in court and I actually don’t think that is nice. It seems as if they want to outbid.”
According to her, there are already enough open dunes and there is no need to remove the trees. “Of the more than 5,000 hectares, protected animals and plants only have 577 hectares of coniferous forest at their disposal. The province has a duty to protect their habitat. We must be careful with this.”
In addition, according to the Duinstichting, there is no support at all among the population. “I emphasized this during the court case. The hearing was mainly about the legal side of the story, but there is also emotion behind it. The picture is much bigger. The residents love the forest and do not want to lose it.”
The preliminary relief judge will make a ruling on October 9.