A mobile forest offers shades of green

It is less of a marathon and more of an amble. But then a “walking forest” of 1,000 trees was never going to move at speed. Since May, volunteers have been transporting the native trees planted in wooden containers along a 3.5km stretch through the centre of the northern Dutch city of Leeuwarden, giving people an opportunity to experience an alternative, greener future.

“We are a generation that has almost lost all hope,” said Johan Lakke, a student at the University of Groningen who is helping with the project, which is called Bosk, meaning “forest” in the local Frisian dialect. “This project gives me hope,” he said. “It shows us that if you’re crazy enough to think outside the box, you can achieve things.”

The brainchild of landscape architect Bruno Doedens and his longtime collaborator, the late Joop Mulder, Bosk emerged from Doedens’ 2021 essay Planet Paradise. “Right now, we as a species are behaving like adolescents who don’t want to clean up their room,” said Doedens. “We need to grow up and stop making a mess of everything. We need to take care of our surroundings.”

The Bosk programme is part of Arcadia, a triennial art festival that includes debates, exhibitions and performances on the theme of reconnecting with nature. Sjoerd Bootsma, Arcadia’s artistic director, said: “We need art and artists to help us imagine different possibilities.”

The first stop on the walking route was Stationsplein, outside Leeuwarden’s train station. “The trees created such a calming effect,” said Sjoukje Witkop, the general manager of a nearby hotel. Witkop has been inspired to install 10 large plant pots outside the hotel. When the “walking” forest is stationary, seating areas are provided between the trees. Hotels are offering picnic baskets to guests so they can unwind in the shade.

The 1,000 trees are made up of 60-70 native species, including alder, ash, elm, oak and willow, in 800 wooden containers. A QR code provides details such as species, lifespan and soil type. A sensor alerts the gardening team when the trees need water.

The project has received overwhelming local support, and people of all ages, genders and backgrounds have volunteered to move the trees. A local brewery has even developed a special beer – BoskBier – with 10 cents from every sale donated to Plan Boom, a national tree planting programme.

Managers of other city centres in the Netherlands have come to see what can be done. Doedens says people have enjoyed the trees and want them to stay. “We created a ‘walking forest’ and people want us to leave it in place.”

But not everyone is thrilled. Some feel the project is a waste of money. Others dislike having to park elsewhere for a week, or vehicular access is blocked because of the trees.

Almar Dam, who is leading the project for Leeuwarden, urged them to look at the bigger picture. “Normally, the streets are so noisy,” he said. “But look at a Bosk location. It’s so peaceful.”

From 14 August – 100 days after they arrived – the trees will be planted around the city, including in low-income neighbourhoods, where greenery is scarce. Friesland aims to be the most circular region in the EU by 2025, reducing waste, pollution and biodiversity loss. While this will not be easy, Doedens is hopeful. “If trees can walk, we can change,” he says.