Forestry service: avoid forests in Drenthe shortly after the storm

The Dutch forestry service Staatsbosbeheer is calling on people to avoid the Drenthe forests in the coming days after the storm on Saturday. "The damage is considerable in some places," according to the nature manager. According to a spokesperson, the call only applies to the Drenthe forests of Staatsbosbeheer for now.

According to the nature manager, it is now too dangerous in the forests. "And what's more, the public roads to and in the forests are simply impassable in some places. Large trees and branches have fallen over roads and paths. Some branches are still hanging loose in the treetops. This creates the danger that they can simply fall down even in calm weather."

Forestry Gieten-Borger seems to be the hardest hit. "It looks like mikado there," says forestry officer Linde Veldhoen. But trees have also fallen elsewhere in Drenthe, and there are many loose branches, she says. "The advice is to wait a few days. Hopefully, the loose branches will fall to the ground with some wind in the coming days." According to the nature manager, the forestry officers from Staatsbosbeheer are also busy clearing fallen trees and branches.

Staatsbosbeheer reports that the forest around the Drenthe swimming lakes has also been affected. For example, the parking lot of the Gasselterveld and 't Nije Hemelriek is littered with large American oaks. According to the nature manager, these make parking impossible for a while. In view of the predicted swimming weather for the coming week, Staatsbosbeheer asks people to come by bike or to go to a swimming location outside the forests. "Parking is expected to be possible again in the course of the week."

According to Veldhoen, it is impossible to predict when people can go into the woods again. "That depends on how the wind will behave in the coming days and whether those loose branches can still come free or not. You always have to be careful when walking in the woods, but we advise you to wait a few days and then see whether you trust it. Either way, you can always contact the local forest ranger."

The storm on Saturday caused much damage in Drenthe, the Dagblad van het Noorden reports. For instance, football club MSC Meppel wrote on Facebook that it was hit by a tornado and reported that the damage runs into tens of thousands of euros. The grandstand, among other places, is said to have been badly damaged. "The storm that passed over Meppel on Saturday evening hit our accommodation disproportionately hard," the club said on Facebook.