What was once built out of sheer necessity to spare the city of Emmen has evolved over the course of two centuries into an oasis of peace in the middle of the city. The Emmerdennen near Emmen has been around for almost two hundred years. “It’s a special landmark, because it makes it one of the oldest forests in Drenthe.”
According to forest ranger Julien Meyer from the Staatsbosbeheer, the age is still evident. “Just look at the old Scots pines that grow so vigorously in Huntgeduin. These trees, with their broad, heavy branches, tell a lot of history.” It is precisely this high sand ridge in the forest – at about thirty metres it is the highest point in Hondsrug – where the oldest trees can be found. “And that’s not surprising, because farmers started planting the first pines here in 1824. At that time there were no forests here at all, just wasteland and drifting sand.”
This drifting sand posed an increasing danger to the nearby village of Emin. “It often happened that fields, sometimes even entire farms, were covered with sand, which was a great danger. So something had to be done.” The new pine forest stabilized the sand, meaning the danger was over. The area had been forested since 1850.
Thus the seeds were planted for the forest, which in the following years grew and was increasingly used as a production forest. “At the same time, the village of Emin developed into a town around Emirdenen, but the forest was preserved. This now makes this place a unique area, in the middle of an urban environment.”
Today the Staatsbosbeheer celebrated the anniversary of this special forest with all sorts of activities. Children could build nesting boxes, bake sandwiches and paint wooden gnomes. There were also demonstrations with draft horses and historical photos of the forest were displayed in various places. A new one-meter-high wooden gnome was unveiled along the gnome path in the forest, sawn from an American oak tree.
Meyer: “And it doesn't stop there. From now on, there is also a new walking path in the forest, which is about seven kilometers long. Walkers can scan QR codes along this path and thus learn a lot through texts and videos. The history and the special trees of Emmerdennen.”
If it were up to Meyer, the forest would remain in good condition for generations to come. “Climate change brings new challenges for us. Sometimes we have to deal with very dry forests, and now it is very wet due to heavy rains.” According to her, it is important that the forest remains multi-purpose and diverse, with all kinds of trees of different ages. “So that it remains a valuable place for the people of Emin. The forest still provides timber, has high ecological value and is above all a beautiful place for recreation.”
