Six attractive recipes for more biodiverse, climate-robust and nutrient-rich forest
In the project 'Attractive new tailor-made forest landscapes', six forest landscapes are being designed, for six very different plots of landowners in Gelderland. After all, in the Netherlands we want more and varied forests, more biodiversity, and less nitrogen and CO2. But what can you do with woodland and which woodland fits where? These pilots should provide clarity about that. A condition is that the forest landscape should provide a return: a combination of income (food and wood), climate resilience, CO2 and nitrogen reduction and above all biodiversity. That is why in this project, two country estates are making their forest more biodiverse, two dairy farmers are expanding their businesses in preparation for the future, a fruit grower wants more than rows of apples, and a landowner with a very high groundwater level wants to learn how he can plant a food forest on it.
Responding to a need for new inspiration
It is clear that agriculture needs perspective. This project is therefore happy to provide examples for very diverse situations. Not only will a (food) forest landscape be designed for each participant, but at the end of the project figures on costs and revenues will be available to inspire other landowners. In order to make this successful, parties from various domains are working together in this project: The Plant/Food from the Forest, Stichting Voedselbosbouw Nederland, Stichting Probos and communication agency de Lynx. Funding comes from the EU and the province of Gelderland.
Launch event on 22-11-22
On Nov. 22, 2022, the room filled up with around 170 people who were presented with not only six inspiring land designs, but also a short demo of a tool that anyone can use to get started with these six recipes themselves.
The recording can be viewed back below. The audio is fine, but unfortunately the picture is quite grainy. You can also download the presentation below.
All information about the recipes themselves can be found in our brand new recipe tool.
The six recipes
In these videos, the managers of the six landscapes explain what their land/recipe is about. You can also access the recipe tool this way. With each recipe you will also find a nice flyer with more background information.
In the Hollander family, the parents are handing over the land to the next generation who do not see themselves on the tractor but are eager to get started with a recreational food forest combined with a campground.
Landgoed de Dorskamp is right next to the built-up areas of Wageningen, Bennekom and Renkum and has great recreational pressure. How can you keep woods attractive to people while strengthening biodiversity?
A young couple becomes farmers on 25 acres of reed bed clay in Millingen a/d Rijn. They lease from Land from Us and build a modern mixed farm full of biodiversity. Of course, that includes five acres of productive food forest.
Welna Estate is a classic large forestry estate on the Veluwe. Here Probos is developing a recipe for more biodiverse, climate-robust forests of multiple value.
Gerdien Dijkstra, Frank de Gram and Wouter van Eck set to work transforming a one-sided fruit orchard into a biodiverse and nutrient-rich forest landscape in five years. View the designs.
How do you start a food forest on land with a high water table? Like in Ederveen. Trees usually don't like too wet feet. See how we solved this.
The project partners
Wouter van Eck talks about the four landraces that are being developed by Stichting Voedselbosbouw Nederland in this project.
Tjitske Ypma of the Lynx Foundation explains why it is so important that this project exists.
Marieke Karssen of The Plant and Food from the Forest talks about her motivation for this project and why it's so important to have a tool that allows people to work on their own.
The Probos Foundation is developing two innovative forest landscapes in this project. With more biodiversity, greater robustness and interesting new forms of harvesting.
Project Partners
