Forests of Denmark

Forests of Denmark

Yesterday we visited one of the forest sections in between the "fingers" of buildings in Denmark. This idea of fingers of buildings and in between filling it with greenspace is a very approvable one, as access to any of the greenspaces by any person is a short walk away. Toby's question of the day:

Why has so much valuable land close to Copenhagen been given over to forest?

The reason behind this maintenance of forest land is because the Danish are dedicated to offering greenspace for all their civilians, and offering it with easy access. In fact the Danish five finger plan, which is Copenhagen’s urban design strategy, idealizes the forests as pieces that fill the spaces in between the developed fingers. The people of Denmark enjoy their greenspace, and would be incredibly upset if too much of it was taken away. This devotion is proven with the Danish Forest Act of 2004, which states that forest areas are to be protected and expanded. The act will simultaneously allow Denmark’s biodiversity of plant and animal life to flourish as well as engage the public in its wealth of resources. The resources I speak of are the recreation, beauty, relaxation, and escape from the densely populated Copenhagen. The guides we have had in the past have emphasized these needs, especially the concept of biodiversity. The goal is to bring back native species of life from the places where they have survived, and reinstate them in Denmark to bring back the full splendor of its original landscape. The Danes we have met on our travels have also shown their appreciation and pride for their landscape. This has been apparent in the paintings we were shown the prior week. The paintings involved a true dedication toward the Danish geography, even after the Golden Age of painting and well into other artistic periods. Another reason that the Danes keep so much valuable land near Copenhagen for forest purposes is that it also offers an income for the city. The income is gained from slight forestation to keep the trees far enough apart to allow sunlight to breach the canopy and offer plants on the forest floor light, as these plants are equally important to Denmark’s biodiversity.

Pictures from the forest and boat ride