BOOST

With BOOST, Bosgroep Oost-Vlaanderen wants to give private foresters extra encouragement through a grant for forest extension projects on private land. This way, we want to realise more forest together. After all, the province of East Flanders has a very low forest index (5.5% versus 11% for Flanders as a whole).

Moreover, BOOST gives everyone the chance to actively help build a greener and healthier East Flanders. Because with every euro that ends up in our fund, the Bosgroep creates new forest in our province.

Nature-based solutions

• Use nature/natural processes that support biodiversity to address the challenges related to climate change, water management (including flood management) and land degradation.
• Have respect for and/or improve the specific environmental and ecological characteristics of the area (e.g. the topography, the type of landscape, the local plant and animal life, …).
• Incorporate those natural processes into the surrounding area and environment.
• Implement those natural processes in a way that is consistent with other actions undertaken to address these challenges (e.g. rehabilitate native plant species around water amenities that are set up to improve water management, …).
• Strengthen ecological connectivity between nature-based solutions and surrounding natural areas.

After planting, forest owners can turn to de Bosgroep through its regular operation for maintenance and monitoring of plantings. Moreover, there is also the legal obligation that the plantation must remain forest and the necessary measures must be taken to this end.