The little brother among the future trees: the birch

This zone, in which spontaneous rejuvenation of birches (the trees with their white bark) took place after a felling, is managed in a special way. Birches are naturally pioneer species: they are one of the first tree species that you will find in a spontaneously grown, young forest. Over time, they are automatically supplanted by the climax species, such as beech and oak. Here, however, the birches are managed as valuable future trees. They are pruned and exempted - just look for the white trunks with blue marking: these are the selected future trees. ForNaLab, ghent university's forest &nature lab, which manages this forest, believes in the value of birch trees, both for biodiversity (many species make good use of birch trees for survival, such as the fly agaric) and for the value of the wood.

Bosgroep Oost-Vlaanderen Noord