Nature manager PWN has received a permit to cut down more than 16 hectares of pine forest near Bergen aan Zee. The city council gave permission for this today. The cap is necessary to get the dunes to dust again.
This is a pine forest on the Lange Vlak, near the Verspyckweg north of Bergen aan Zee. “We work every day to keep the dunes in top condition. Sometimes it is necessary to lend a hand”, explained Niels Hogeweg of PWN earlier to NH News from.
“The pines we are going to cut down do not occur naturally here. We want to return to native nature.” Removing the pines creates a larger passage for the wind towards the dune area behind.
Dust and nitrogen
According to PWN, things are not going well with more than sixty hectares of dune nature near the coastal village. “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 play, the sand drifts.”
The entire 16.2 hectares are compensated by planting forest. This takes place in the municipality of Bergen and at other locations in the province. The cycle path that runs through the area to be felled will remain accessible; this is included as a condition in the permit.
To object
The work that PWN will be carrying out stems from the Natura 2000 management plan, commissioned by the province. To be allowed to fell, permission must be granted by the council of Bergen. The city council is not about this. An objection can be lodged against the granted permit within six weeks.
The Dune Foundation was right when announcing the plans cap not accepted. On Sunday, March 12, the foundation will organize a picnic at the Verspyckweg at 13:00 with the motto ‘Forest felling No’, in order to make their objections known once again.