{"id":39662,"date":"2026-02-18T14:14:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/srfb.be\/?page_id=39662"},"modified":"2026-02-24T09:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:50:57","slug":"ou-sont-passes-les-arbres","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/srfb.be\/en\/forest-friends\/services-et-activites\/proprietaires-ou-gestionnaires-forestiers\/ou-sont-passes-les-arbres\/","title":{"rendered":"Where have the trees gone?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Clear-felling a woodland area is impressive! Foresters sometimes resort to it when it has reached the end of its cycle or the trees are too weakened (disease, drought, pests, etc.).<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Wallonia, clearings are permitted in strict limits<\/strong> by the Forestry Code (a maximum of 5 hectares of conifers and 3 hectares of broadleaves). In certain types of forestry, they constitute the final stage of a forest cycle initiated decades, or even generations, beforehand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clear-felling can also occur following major health problems, such as the bark beetle epidemic that affected spruce trees from 2018 onwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This temporary spotlighting can evoke emotion. However, it can also benefit many animal and plant species that appreciate open, sunny environments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Back soon!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This step is never the end of the forest: foresters ensure that new trees are replanted or that naturally regenerating young trees are supported.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any clear-cutting must be followed by forest regeneration, whether by planting or natural regeneration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, forest management is evolving, and clear-cutting is becoming less frequent. However, it remains a normal step in certain existing stands, particularly those resulting from old practices or heavily affected by climatic or sanitary events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foresters always work with the long term in mind: they inherit stands shaped by their predecessors and prepare those for subsequent generations. In most cases, they will never even harvest the trees they themselves helped to regenerate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When to talk about deforestation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When a forest (and its inhabitants) disappears entirely. Here, it's the opposite: foresters always ensure the forest is renewed.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faced with a clear-felling, the term \u00abdeforestation\u00bb is sometimes wrongly used. In Wallonia, deforestation does not exist: a forest defined as such in the land-use plan remains a forest, even after significant felling. The owner has a legal obligation to regenerate it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the contrary, deforestation is spoken of when a forest is permanently removed to make way for other uses, such as agriculture (livestock, crops such as soy or palm oil), urbanisation or infrastructure. These changes lead to a massive loss of biodiversity and contribute to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Good to know<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Humans and forests have a very long history. Human activities have always influenced the surfaces and morphology of forests. In our regions, the forest area began to decrease as soon as humans settled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, thanks to forestry legislation in Belgium, forest cover isconstantly increasing for over a century<\/strong>, increasing from approximately 435,000 ha in 1866 to over 700,000 ha today, of which around half belong to private owners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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To go further<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n