Jul 06, 2023 at 1:22 PMUpdate: 32 minutes ago
After a heavy storm like Poly, it is dangerous to go into the woods. “A falling tree goes at an enormous speed,” says Natuurmonumenten to NU.nl. “You shouldn’t think: I’ll hear it and jump aside in time.”
Forest areas in the north of the Netherlands can be especially dangerous now. “The center of gravity is in the south of North Holland,” says a spokesman for Staatsbosbeheer.
At an estate near Haarlem, at least thirty trees have been blown down with their roots. More than a hundred trees fell in the Purmerbos. In addition, Flevoland seems to be particularly affected, but there are also reports from Friesland of tree trunks blocking walking paths.
The foresters of Natuurmonumenten and Staatsbosbeheer are now busy cleaning up the damage. “Many of our forest rangers have a saw certificate,” says the spokesman for Staatsbosbeheer. Those forest rangers now go into the woods with a sawing team to clear paths and remove dangerous branches from trees.
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‘Trees are on edge’
Not only those branches can still cause dangerous situations, but also crooked trees. They are “on edge”, says the spokesperson for Natuurmonumenten. The trees can still fall over. “When a tree falls, it’s not just a trunk that falls,” he emphasizes. The crown of a tree can be 25 to 30 meters wide. “If that comes down, it just has an amazing impact and you can’t just step aside.”
It is still unclear how extensive the damage is, but summer storms generally cause more fallen trees than winter storms. This is because trees then have leaves and therefore catch more wind. When leaves are wet from a lot of rain, the pressure on branches is even greater and they sometimes break.
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Cleanups can take days to weeks
The cleanups can take days to weeks. For example, forest rangers cannot clean up all the damage themselves. They need contractors for very thick trees, who are also busy clearing debris in cities.
Until then, it is important to stay away from the damaged forests. “Locally, we indicate at entrances to forests whether they are accessible,” says the spokesperson for Natuurmonumenten. For example, unsafe paths are closed off with a red-white ribbon. This means that work is being done in that place or that the place is still unsafe. “Respect that,” he urges people.
At the same time, people should above all use their common sense. For example, forest rangers at Staatsbosbeheer decide for themselves what they do. Dangerous areas may not have been cordoned off there. If there is a tree across a path, it is clear that no one has cleaned up yet. Then it is better to avoid the forest for a while. In the meantime, Staatsbosbeheer recommends other places: the dunes, heath or floodplains, for example.
The situation is also different in many places in the South of the Netherlands. For example in Brabant and Limburg. “There is nothing wrong there, you can just go into the woods there,” says the spokesperson for Natuurmonumenten. “Always check the local information.”
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Storms often good for a forest
Incidentally, storms are often not a problem for a forest. “We don’t always say that there is damage from a storm,” says the spokesperson for Staatsbosbeheer. Often it is old or diseased trees that fall over. That literally offers space for young trees. His colleague from Natuurmonumenten explains: “A storm creates open spaces in a forest. That gives young trees and shrubs the opportunity to grow there. This results in a varied forest.”
In addition, a storm causes many extra branches and other wood on the ground. Foresters leave this wood on purpose, because insects love it. The insects are food for woodpeckers and other animals. “For a forest as an ecosystem, such a storm is not that bad at all.”
2023-07-06 11:22:45
#Nature #organizations #warn #stay #damaged #forests #inland
