Summers are getting drier and winters are getting wetter. This is an effect of climate change that is already noticeable. According to weatherman Roland van der Zwaag, it is even the wettest year ever in some places in the province. But the rainfall has consequences for nature.
Where ditches used to be dug to drain excess water, nowadays more and more of those ditches are being filled in. This happens because the function of the forest has changed. The water is deliberately conserved so that the forest can recover, which is why forester Lysander van Oossanen is one of the few happy with the extremely wet autumn.
“In the Drents-Friese Wold we hardly harvest any wood anymore and that gives us the opportunity to fill in the ditches that are no longer useful for wood production. In this way we are actually doing system restoration and that is very good for the environment .” The water is retained as much as possible. “Every drop that falls does not leave the area via all kinds of ditch systems, but is given the opportunity to sink into the ground. This forms a buffer for the groundwater, so that we can better bridge the drier periods – that is, in the summer.” “, Van Oossanen explains.
The forest can therefore rely on the rain that is now falling. But retaining the water creates huge wet spots. Sometimes also in inconvenient locations. “You can imagine if such a wet spot occurs exactly on a walking route or a cycle path, that we really have to make adjustments. Sometimes you have to place a walking path in a different place so that people can get around the water more easily. It is In any case, it is useful to adjust your clothing accordingly as a holidaymaker. During these periods, boots are not an unnecessary luxury in the forest.”
But the forester is not only happy with the abundance of rainwater for nature. “These types of precipitation periods are really great for the entire system recovery. This means that the groundwater can really be replenished, which we really need. And it is also wonderful for the children. They can then splash in the puddles.”
2023-12-13 21:01:21
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