Haacht (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Starting Monday, Aug 18, 2025, Natuurpunt Haacht will cut American oaks in Haachts Broek (160 ha) over 2 hectares. Bernard Lemaitre says removal restores native plants, wildlife, and forest balance.
As VRT News reported, starting Monday, Aug 18, 2025, teams will begin cutting down a large number of American oak trees in Haacht’s Haachts Broek nature reserve, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. Bernard Lemaitre from Natuurpunt Haacht says the trees have spread in a large area where almost no birds, flowers, or insects are found in the affected areas.
He mentioned that the lack of wildlife is a big concern because healthy forests need a mix of plants and animals to survive. Even though the Haachts Broek covers about 160 hectares, the removal will target only 2 hectares for now.
The trees chosen for cutting are spread across different spots in the reserve. Lemaitre warns that if nothing is done, American oaks could take over the entire forest. In a few hundred years, the forest might have nothing but American oaks.
What will Natuurpunt Haacht’s oak removal do in Haacht’s Broek?
Researchers say the work is necessary to protect native species and stop the forest from being dominated by a single non-native tree. Natuurpunt Haacht already has several plans ready to replace the American oaks once the removal is finished. The felling work is expected to last about 2 months.
“I understand it seems strange to cut down so many trees, even if you know it’s an invasive species,”
Lemaitre explains.
“Yet, in the long run, it’s better. If we plant new, native species, they will attract many other organisms and revitalise the forest.”
Bernard Lemaitre explains that in 2 parts of the Haachts Broek, the forest is almost completely made up of American oaks. In these areas, every tree will be cut down. In other sections, American oaks grow alongside other tree species. There, the team will carefully choose which trees to remove and which to leave standing to keep the forest balanced and healthy.
“It will be a mix of beeches, hornbeams, summer oaks, and elms,”
says Lemaitre.
“The new trees will be planted sometime next year.”
Some parts of the nature reserve will be closed to visitors while the work is carried out. The felled trees will not be wasted. A forestry specialist will process the wood. Smaller branches will be chopped up and sent to power plants to be used as energy.
“The slightly thicker side branches will serve as firewood,”
Lemaitre adds.
“The larger trees can be used to make planks.”
Haachts Broek is an important nature reserve in Haacht. It
Comments
16 responses to “Natuurpunt Haacht to Fell 2 Ha of American Oaks, Led by Lemaitre”
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Cutting down 2 hectares of American oaks to “restore the balance” is quite the bold move, innit? I suppose next they’ll be hiring a choir of birds to sing praises to the newly available space! 😂🌳
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Cutting down American oaks to “restore balance” in Haacht sounds like the eco-friendly equivalent of a mid-life crisis, doesn’t it? 🌳💔 Next, they’ll be telling us that replacing them with native trees is the secret to eternal youth!
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Cutting down two hectares of American oaks? Brilliant plan! Because who needs a diverse forest when you can just have a one-species wonderland, right? 🌳🙄
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Cutting down American oaks to save the forest? Brilliant! Next, let’s remove all the tourists to restore authenticity. 🍃😂
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Cutting down a couple of American oaks to “save” the forest—what a brilliant strategy! Next, maybe they’ll replace them with some rare European plastic trees? 🌳💁♂️
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Cutting down American oaks to make room for the “native” crowd, eh? Next they’ll be hosting a tree party to welcome the new arrivals. 🍃🥳
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Cutting down a couple of American oaks to ‘restore balance’—classic case of overkill, innit? 🤔 Next, they’ll be telling us to plant tulips in the Sahara to ‘improve biodiversity’! 🌳🌷
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Cutting down 2 hectares of American oaks? Brilliant move, Lemaitre! Because who needs a majestic forest when you can have a community garden of native plants, right? 🌳😂
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Cutting down American oaks to save the forest is as logical as making a Belgian waffle without the syrup—absolutely pointless. 🍂 But hey, at least we’ll have some firewood for those chilly winters, right? 🔥
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Cutting down 2 hectares of American oaks? Brilliant, because who needs biodiversity when you can have a pristine oak-free zone, right? 🌳🙄 Next, let’s just pave it over for a parking lot and call it progress!
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Cutting down American oaks to restore balance? Brilliant! Next, let’s just declare war on pizza since it’s taking over the culinary scene too, shall we? 🍕🙄
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Cutting down American oaks to restore nature? Brilliant! Next, let’s bulldoze the Eiffel Tower to make room for a nice, new parking lot, yeah? 😂
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Cutting down 2 hectares of American oaks? Brilliant strategy, mate! Next, let’s just invite the squirrels to a tea party while we’re at it. 🌳☕️
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Cutting down American oaks to save the forest? Brilliant! Next, let’s pave over the fields to promote agriculture. 🍃🌳
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Cutting down 2 hectares of American oaks? Brilliant! Just what we need—more native plants in a forest that was practically auditioning for a “most American” award. 🌳🇺🇸
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Cutting down 2 hectares of American oaks to save the forest—classic move, right? Next, we’ll be employing a “leafy bouncer” to keep out the invasive species at the forest disco. 😂🌳
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