On Sunday 17 March 2024, we planted 24,825 trees in Deinze with over 300 volunteers during Luminus Forest in One Day. This is already the 11th forest we planted in collaboration with Luminus, but this was a very special edition. In fact, this is the largest corporate forest planted in Flanders on a plot of 12 hectares.
Flood zone
You have probably noticed, it is a wet year. This action was originally scheduled in January, but had to be postponed because the entire area was flooded. Yesterday too, it was a damp, muddy affair. But this is precisely why planting such a forest can be valuable. The plot in Deinze is located in a valley area next to the river Leie and until now consisted mainly of grassland. The plots are what is called marginal land and have not been cultivated for the last 10 years because they are too wet to grow crops. The trees we planted are already providing a major ecological upgrade for the whole region. Thus, moisture-loving tree species such as black alder, sweet cherry, willow, slippery elm and fladder elm were planted. In the drier locations, sessile lime, pedunculate oak and Spanish oak, among others, were planted.
Ministerial visit
This initiative is part of Minister Demir’s goal to reforest 10,000 hectares in Flanders by 2030. Minister Diependaele visited as a representative of the Flemish government and was full of praise for the cooperation between Luminus, the Jane Goodall Institute, Forest Fwd and the municipality of Deinze. Only by working together can we achieve this goal and Minister Diependaele noted that.
“Planting this corporate forest in Deinze is not only a step forward in the mission to create more forest, but it is also an important signal that companies can be an integral part of this effort. Such a partnership is essential for the realisation of Flanders’ ambitious forest expansion goals. With this new forest, we are not only bringing green back into our landscape, but also creating a living environment that benefits both nature and our society.”
As the minister points out, our cooperation with Luminus is very valuable. For six years now, we have been allowed to call them our partner and together we have already been able to plant 85,000 trees in Belgium. But Luminus also supports our operation in Burundi which, besides reducing CO2, also helps to restore the habitat of chimpanzees.
Rare bush
Another special part of this tree-planting operation is that on a significant part of the wood edges, along the plot, there is a buckthorn that is already more than a hundred years old. This species of buckthorn is one of the rarest shrubs in Flanders. Because the population of this rare species is so large, the area was also listed as a protected monument. And more: seeds of the local shrub were raised and the rare population has now also been strengthened with great care.
So we end this tree-planting season with a great result! In November, we will be back with our actions. Be sure to keep an eye on our newsletter for further information.
If you already want to donate a tree for our next action, you can do so here.
Images: SWD Photography