Nature management: dwindling poplar planting

In several places in the basin, we see withering poplar forests. Although these trees can withstand a wet soil fairly well, prolonged flooding is detrimental, and these trees are fading away. The planting of poplars is certainly not a natural vegetation. When, in the 1950s and 1960s, the economic advantages of grasslands and meadows diminished, investment was made in the planting of Canadian poplars. However, after a quarter of a century, these advantages turned out to be no more. Matches were replaced by the disposable lighter, and wood for cheap furniture or particle boards could be imported much more cheaply from Russia. Moreover, in the 1990s, we experienced a disease among the poplars.

The intention of nature management is to return to the more original grazing and meadow lands. The policy plan also provides for the felling of the poplar forests. However, the ANB knows that such an intervention is very sensitive for the average nature lover, and good communication of the 'why' is therefore an important task for the ANB.

Jan Rymenams