Fifteen beech trees have now been removed. As a result, the trunks of the remaining trees are more exposed to sunlight. And that is disastrous for the shade-loving beeches in the long term. Moreover, their roots do not always reach deep enough to reach groundwater. In view of climate change and the regularly long, dry periods in the summer, this required action.
A plan is now ready to remove a total of another 25 beech trees. Whether these will be replaced by young beech or lime trees is still to be determined. “We sought advice from the Bomenwacht, Landschapsbeheer Drenthe and various gardeners. It turned out that lime trees are more resistant to sun and drought.”
According to Veldhuis, the rescue plan costs ‘tens of thousands of euros, the lion’s share of which has now been received thanks to allocated subsidies. There is still a gap of 20,000 euros, but he says that will be fine.
In addition to replacing the trees, the addition of underplanting, such as rhododendrons, is also being considered. Veldhuis expects the operation to start early this year or next year. “For understandable reasons, we obviously don’t do that in the summer.”
No new destination has yet been found for the Catholic church in Barger-Compascuum. The monumental house of worship is looking for a new destination following an ongoing real estate investigation. The church is part of the Holy Maria Duchess of Drenthe Parish. Like other parishes, they must critically examine their buildings due to the declining number of visitors and members.
According to Veldhuis, who is also part of this working group, there is no news to report in this regard yet. There is a plan to separate a separate space inside the church hall. “The church hall can accommodate a maximum of 400 visitors. But an average of 30 people attend the services. The idea now is to create a kind of building-within-a-building in the hall in the front part of the church.” In this space, churchgoers can continue to attend services. This space will be approximately one meter from the church wall and will have a separate roof. In total this takes up about a quarter of the church hall.
An alternative destination is being sought for the remainder. Preference is given to a social implementation, for example day care, according to Veldhuis. “We have had discussions with various parties, but there is no further news to report.”