Towards more natural and resilient forests...
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Why a forest charter?
The National Park is full of old woods, especially in the Ardennes part. These forests, most of which are managed for logging, have significant potential for preservation of the biodiversity and resilience of the territory, especially when it comes to climate change. In the National Park’s core area, 99% of the forests are public (usually owned by municipalities, sometimes by the Walloon region). Forest landowners are committed to the forest charter, which sets out clear objectives to strengthen the forest ecosystem.
Each situation is unique: contact us at info@parc-national-esem.be to discuss your situation.
Integral forest reserve as inspiration
A few key principles help increase the naturalness of the National Park's forests and encourage them to evolve freely:
- preserving habitat trees and dendromicrohabitats
- increasing the volume of dead wood, both standing and on the ground
- reducing the rate of coniferisation
- 10% of the forests in the National Park are designated as integral forest reserve
More about our #Renature actions
LEVEL 1 : FIRST LEVEL OF COMMITMENT Max. 15%
Multifunctional forest :
compliance with the standard for forests in Wallonia (PEFC)
sustainable management and conservation of areas of biological interest
level 1 forests may not exceed 15% of the forests in the National Park's core area
LEVEL 2 : INTERMEDIATE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT 11.500 ha
Production and conservation forest :
20 m³ of dead wood/hectare in 2 rotations (5 x the regional standard)
5 habitat trees per hectare (10 x the regional standard)
limitation of conifers to a maximum of 10% of the area
LEVEL 3 : STRONG COMMITMENT 1.700 ha
Integral forest reserve
Under the status of integral forest reserve :
cessation of logging
trees die on site, dead wood is left on the ground (except for safety reasons)
10% of forests in the core area
*The charter summarised above applies mainly to municipal forests. For private plots, which are generally smaller in size, the charter is adapted case-by-case.
What opportunities are available for landowners?
The enrolled landowners benefit from various advantages.
Upon enrollment (level 1):
- possibility of PEFC certification
- participation in the network of National Park enrolled landowners: training, invitations, conferences...
- use of the brand ‘National Park Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse’
- for municipal forests: advice and support for ecological developments, co-financing
Depending on the level of commitment (levels 2 and/or 3):
- recognition by the National Park
- advice and support for the restoration of natural habitats and developments to benefit biodiversity (ponds, forest edges...)
- for the municipalities: financial compensation for ceasing logging in the integral forest reserves (compensation corresponds to payment for ecosystem services provided by an integral forest reserve: carbon capture, water retention and purification, biodiversity…)
- …
Take the first step: contact us at info@parc-national-esem.be