In Genappe, Belgium, a team of forestry workers, including 25-year-old Luca Bruscia, is collecting pine cones from larch trees. These cones are crucial for an initiative aimed at strengthening Belgium's forests in the face of climate change. The seeds from these cones will be planted to increase tree diversity and resilience, a strategy that has become more urgent after Belgium experienced its largest wildfire in a century.
The annual high-altitude cone harvest takes place from mid-August to mid-September, before the cones open and release their seeds. The team uses a tool resembling a giant slingshot to secure throw-lines on high branches, then climbs about 40 meters to collect the cones. After collection, the cones are sent to the forestry office in Marche-en-Famenne, where they are dried, spun to extract seeds, sorted, checked, and stored in cold storage for years before being sold for planting.
A kilogram of seeds, equivalent to about 35,000 seeds, costs around 3,400 euros, with a germination rate of up to 50 percent. Eleonore Scholzen, head of the forestry office, emphasizes the need for a long-term view in forest management, aiming to prepare local woods for the next 200 years. With global warming increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, Belgium's nature and forestry department is pushing for greater tree diversity.
Belgian forests, traditionally dominated by spruce trees, have suffered from soil acidification and increased vulnerability to insects, diseases, and natural disasters due to lack of diversity. The initiative involves planting a variety of tree species, some previously found mainly in southern Europe, to better equip local woods to withstand rising temperatures. Scholzen notes that while trees naturally migrate, this process is not fast enough to keep pace with climate change, necessitating human intervention.
The recent massive fire in the High Fens nature reserve underscores the urgency of this initiative. Adrien Baudoin, Bruscia's boss, observes that climate-related events once seen only in southern Europe are now occurring in Belgium, highlighting the need for adaptation. As global climate patterns shift, such initiatives are increasingly relevant, not just for Belgium but for countries worldwide, including Bangladesh, where similar strategies could be employed to enhance forest resilience.
