Plant schools seek concrete plan: We cannot afford to burn millions of trees again.

Søren Iversen sets aside the green net that covers the earth.

Across the entire expanse of the land, about half a million seedlings lie approximately five centimeters under the winter-cold soil.

They were planted in the fall, intended to grow until the next spring, and in two years would be 30-80 centimeter tall saplings ready to be planted in new forests.

- The production time for a forest tree cannot be changed, says Søren Iversen, owner of Hjorthede Plant School in Bjerringbro.

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> After the given growth seasons, they have the size we can sell. And then there is waste.

> Søren Iversen, plant school owner

Therefore, Søren Iversen and other plant schools are hesitant to join Denmark's next forest venture - the green three-part - where a staggering number of one million new trees are to be planted by 2045.

Plant schools have already burned their fingers - or rather, millions of new trees that suddenly became worthless due to delayed forest restoration projects, expired permits, or project obstacles.

- It's something we almost cry over, says he.

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When plants become too large, they cannot be sold

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Small seedlings of oak, beech, and other forest trees must be planted as soon as they are ready.

Evergreens are ready after two summers - or growth seasons, as plant schools call it.

If they are not planted when ready, they become too large to be planted with machinery, and half a million evergreens that need to be planted manually are almost worthless.

- After the given growth seasons, they have the size we can sell. And then there is waste, says Søren Iversen.

- We have tried several times to store a massive amount of plants in cold storage, which we had to destroy because they were not worth anything at that time, he says.

Søren Iversen from Hjorthede Plant School tells DR about destroying millions of plants that could not be sold.

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Millions of trees burned

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Another plant school, ForstPlant, informs DR that they burned 300,000 trees in their worst year.

Planteskoler.dk reports that one million trees were burned last year. The year before that, it was three million trees.

Therefore, plant schools cannot invest in the many trees required for the green three-part without a plan from the government.

What will future forests look like? Which trees should be used? And when will they be ready?

- As a plant school, we have anxiety about producing a massive amount of plants that we might not be able to get rid of, says Søren Iversen.

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Over 20 years, one billion trees must be planted

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The government and several parties have signed an agreement about the green three-part.

The agreement aims to reduce agriculture's nitrogen emissions and to take an area the size of Fyn for nature and forest.

250,000 hectares must be replanted as forest. That's a million new trees.

It will be up to landowners to apply for support for forest restoration.

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Hedeselskabet: The risk is enormous

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The same message comes from Hedeselskabet, one of Denmark's largest private forest owners, forest managers, and seed producers.

They estimate that it will be possible to reach the goal of one billion new trees for the historic forest restoration project.

But it will require a new national forest plan and a guarantee scheme for producers.

- The risk is enormous when we talk about a million trees, says Christian Bogh, communications director of Hedeselskabet.

Søren Iversen, owner of Hjorthede Plant School in Bjerringbro, is hesitant to invest in the many new trees. He fears having to burn trees again due to delayed forest restoration projects. (Photo: © Martin Sønderbyå, DR)

Often, the problem is that landowners are reluctant and do not want to give up their land for forest restoration. Therefore, a national forest plan should also clarify where and how the 250,000 hectares of land that need to be converted to forest should be found.

- It's very, very, very important that we get some land that is ready at the time the plants are ready, otherwise we risk losing the plants, says Christian Bogh.

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> Trees take time. So the faster we can get them in the ground, the greater the effect they will have on the goals related to climate, marine environment, and biodiversity

> Vivian Kvist Johannsen, researcher in forestry, Copenhagen University

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The forest plan will reduce uncertainty

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It is a historic task that the green three-part presents.

In comparison, the "newest" 250,000 hectares of forest in Denmark were planted between the years 1950 and now, explains Vivian Kvist Johannsen, researcher at Copenhagen University with expertise in forestry.

- That means over 75 years. Now we have 20 years to reach the same extent of forest restoration, she says.

One of the significant challenges will also be finding areas and getting local landowners and others on board. Therefore, there is also a need for a new national forest plan.

- I think it will reduce the uncertainty that landowners and those involved in making this happen must have, she says.

So even though a deadline in 2045 may seem far off, we need to start now, she says.

- Trees take time. So the faster we can get them in the ground, the greater the effect they will have on the goals related to climate, marine environment, and biodiversity, says Vivian Kvist Johannsen.

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Delivery time of 2-3 years

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In Bjerringbro, plant school owner Søren Iversen believes that he and his colleagues can deliver a billion trees in 20 years.

But they need a plan for Denmark's largest forest restoration project in recent history.

- We need to know from politicians, from the ministry, which trees we should ideally use and when, he says.

And how fast do we want to succeed with this if we want to make it happen?

- They should have been three years ago if we want to start next year, says Søren Iversen.

Even though the delivery time is two-three years, the perspective should ideally be even longer.

- It should be a forest that will stand for hundreds of years, he says.

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