Forests in the Netherlands and Their Many Functions since the 1900s

In European forestry, ‘sustainability’ as a key concept is centuries old. State-managed production forests and wooded landscapes for nature conservation have co-existed for a similar timespan. Incrementally, the functions of forests in the densely-populated Netherlands have shifted from timber production and economic rationales to natural beauty, biodiversity and recreation. ‘Monofunctional forests’ were gradually replaced in the 1960s by ‘multiple use’ of forests, according to which many functions may co-exist and be brought into balance in one forest area. The emergence of this idea was a significant step towards the formulation of a holistic concept of ‘sustainability’.