Wrong tree varieties are being planted to offset CO2 emissions, ecologists warn

Ecologists warn the Netherlands is planting the wrong varieties of trees to offset CO2 emissions, Nu.nl reports. Although reforesting is an important way to reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere, native species of trees and shrubs are often overlooked for foreign ones, disrupting the ecological balance of Dutch forests.

The previous government’s “forest strategy” plans to add 10 percent extra forest to the Netherlands by 2030. However, only two to three percent of Dutch forests today have substantial amounts of wild trees and shrubs, ecologist Bert Maes told Nu.nl.

"There is exceptionally little attention in the Netherlands for the quality of forests,” said Maes, who has been conducting fieldwork in the Netherlands for the past 30 years. “There is no training where you can learn how our forests work, which trees belong there and why.”

In addition to the planting of non-native tree species, many trees come from commercial growers and are not genetically diverse. This can make them more susceptible to diseases and pests.

Ecologists point out that the Netherlands is rich in native plant options, but often chooses not to use them. Professor of plant ecology Joop Schaminée told Nu.nl the Netherlands has 18 native rose varieties, but instead, most municipalities plant roses from China. Using foreign species from different climates can have dire consequences for Dutch forest ecosystems and can even affect wildlife dependent on those plants, Schaminée said.

"We are now threatening to plant southern European species such as walnut and holm oak in our forests to be ready for the hotter and drier summers of the future,” Schaminée said. “That is a repetition of mistakes from the past and a disaster for the native ecology, which has no relations with those species."

However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality recently formed a committee on native trees and shrubs, and experts say it is not too late to change course.

Maes pointed out that primeval forests should be considered “heritage.” Some, he said, are even older than ancient burial mounds.