Flanders will again mark the Week of the Forest from 4 to 11 October, with this year’s campaign focusing on the forest floor as the foundation of a healthy, resilient and biodiverse woodland.
The annual initiative by the Agency for Nature and Forests aims to help children, families and schools explore the forest. This year, the spotlight is on everything beneath the ground.
Through an activity called Expeditie Bosbodem, or Forest Floor Expedition, visitors will be introduced to the hidden world beneath their feet.
“The forest floor is the invisible but indispensable basis of a healthy, resilient and biodiverse forest,” the agency said. It described the soil as the beating heart of the forest, where millions of organisms, from earthworms and springtails to fungi and bacteria, work together to support a strong ecosystem.
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The agency said protecting and strengthening forests is essential for biodiversity in Flanders. It added that enriching forests with nutrient-rich leaf litter species and planting new mixed deciduous woodland can help build resilient ecosystems for the future.
Visitors will also learn about mosses, mushrooms, trees and the rich life underground through facts and activities highlighting the forest floor’s “real heroes”.
“When people walk through a forest, they usually look at the trees, but what happens beneath our feet is at least as fascinating,” said Jo Brouns, the Flemish minister for environment and agriculture. “It is teeming with life that keeps our forests healthy. With the Week of the Forest, we want to invite young and old alike to discover that hidden nature and look at the forest with different eyes.”
The full programme, along with facts, videos, search cards and other resources on forest biodiversity and the forest floor, is available at www.weekvanhetbos.be.
