New Forests of Aarhus

A path through the forest of Brendstrup Skov. Here larch have been planted as nursing trees. Brendstrup Skov is part of afforestation experiments and research.

New Forests of Aarhus (Danish: De nye Aarhus Skove) is the collective name for a series of woodlands near the city of Aarhus in Denmark. All the forests have recently been planted as part of the plan called Aarhus omkranset af skov (lit: Aarhus surrounded by forest). The plan was initiated by the Aarhus city council in the year of 1988, with the overall aim of doubling the municipality's forested area by the year 2000. As the old forests comprised 1,300 ha, there is controversy whether this goal has been met entirely.

The New Forests of Aarhus comprise these newly raised and public woodlands:

• Skødstrup Skov at 25 ha
• Bærmose Skov at 80 ha^[1]
• Lisbjerg Skov at 100 ha
• Mollerup Skov at 97 ha
• Brendstrup Skov at 83 ha
• Gjellerup Skov at 22 ha
• Tranbjerg Skov at 73 ha
• Solbjerg Skov at 30 ha

The total woodland area sums up to about 510 ha. In cooperation with the Danish Nature Agency, True Skov was raised in 1994 west of Aarhus. True Skov is planned to be a 650 ha woodland, and 385 ha has been afforested by 2013.^[2] The forest is technically speaking being run by the State of Denmark, but the woodland pools up with the municipal forests in order to reach the goals stated in the 1988 plan.

Aarhus municipality states that their initial goals have been met, but this is clearly not true, as the old forests comprise a minimum of 1,300 ha. With the newly raised True Skov, the total area sums up to 895 hectare (2013). For unknown reasons, some newly raised forests within the municipality before the year 2000, is seldom mentioned in connection with the 1988 plan and the New Forests of Aarhus. One example is Himmerigskov at 140 ha, planted between 1991 and 1995 in connection with Bærmose Skov, by the Danish Nature Agency. The municipality claims that the State have contributed with a total of 700 ha.^[3] It is thus unclear, if the original 1988 plan was reached in time. Whatever the truth is, there are new afforestation plans going on and they might stitch and patch the 1988 plan in the end.

Background

There were several reasons for initiating the afforestation around Aarhus. The municipality highlights these specific reasons:^[4]

• Forest binds CO2 - every hectare of new forest binds around 14 tons of CO2 per year.
• Forest protects water - both above and below ground.
• Forest creates new options for outdoor activities.
• Forest makes nearby housing districts more attractive.
• Forest improves the biological diversity in Nature.

The forests - except those run by the State - are all part of the town's nature management program.

The future

Aarhus Municipality wants even more woodland, than the 1988 plan aimed at, more than thirty years ago. In the year 2009, the strategic plans for the municipality, aimed at doubling the forest-area in Aarhus Municipality once again, before the year 2030. This aim is claimed to amount to 3,200 ha of new forest and before 2012, 320 ha additional woodland have been planted already.

Not all the new forest will be public. In order to reach the ambitious goal, attractive subsidies are being offered to private landowners.^[4]

References and sources

• The new forests of Aarhus Aarhus Municipality (Danish)

1. Bærmose Skov and Himmerigskov Danish Nature Agency. Includes maps. (Danish)
2. True Skov Danish Nature Agency (Danish)
3. Forests Aarhus Municipality (Danish)
4. New Forests Aarhus municipality. Includes interactive maps of the planned forests. (Danish)