Limburg is to gain 436 hectares of land designated for woodland, mainly in the Herkenrodebossen nature area between Herk-de-Stad and Hasselt.
The decision follows approval by the Flemish government of the spatial implementation plan for the Herkenrodebossen, according to Flemish MP Andy Pieters of N-VA.
The Herkenrodebossen were once a continuous forest area, but are now split into separate fragments among arable land, meadows and grassland.
The total planning area covers 1,425 hectares. Of the additional woodland designation, about 376 hectares are in the Herkenrodebossen and 60 hectares in the more southerly Wijerbos.
The measure accounts for 6% of the remaining woodland target still to be realised in Flanders.
To achieve that goal, 140 hectares will need to be planted in the coming years to reconnect the scattered forest fragments into larger, more resilient woodland areas.
Pieters said the plans had initially faced criticism from the farming sector. A dialogue process was then launched to reduce the impact on agriculture and to provide a land policy framework for farmers.
“Limburg may be the greenest province in Flanders, but more nearby nature and stronger forest structures are crucial for our ecosystem and for our residents,” Pieters said. “Especially in hot summers like the one we are experiencing now, forests as a natural air conditioner are far from a luxury.”
