Think before you start is really the message here. You can’t just buy a piece of forest land and start with a food forest. Unfortunately that’s not how it works. Regulations are quite strict in that regard.
We are not going to pass judgment, but every Belgian knows that our country is very complex.
In any case, it is important to know what type of soil you have. Is it agricultural land, forest land, nature park, nature reserve, building land… But did you know that sometimes the type of soil doesn’t even matter. If you have many trees on a large piece of land because that patch has become overgrown, for example and it looks like a bush, then that patch falls under the ‘forest decree’. In that case it gets even more complex. Because you can’t just plant or pick fruit trees in a forest. ok de
Don’t think that you can just turn a forest full of dead trees into a food forest. We usually advise to leave a forest floor as normal forest.
The very first step is always to visit the municipality. They usually have even ‘sharper’ laws and regulations. But did you know that you can also consult, for example, forest + or regional landscapes. The website of the agroforestry institute also contains a lot of information and the basic principles. More information can be found here.
But every situation is different. You can find all useful links on our homepage.
In any case, we are sharpening our expertise and we have already followed a course at Inverde.
By the way, those courses are an absolute must. During this webinar of approximately 2 hours, the following topics will be discussed:
- (The lack of) a legal definition for food forests
- Nature conservation legislation: protection of forests, vegetations and small landscape features, duty of care and stand-still
- Legislation on spatial planning and immovable heritage
- Agricultural legislation and food forests
- Legislation on food production and keeping animals in relation to food forests
- Examples and questions
Inverde is the market leader in Flanders in the field of training courses on forest, green and nature management.
Every year they receive thousands of students: professional managers, members of nature associations, forest groups and regional landscapes, holidaymakers, people who want to manage their garden in a nature-friendly way….
Are you professionally involved in nature management or do you want to improve your natural knowledge out of personal interest? The extensive training offer has something for everyone. The complete overview can be found on the training page . There you can choose between different themes. Whether you are a nature professional or a leisure nature lover, one thing is certain: training at Inverde means learning at the highest level.
Inverde is the training branch of Natuurinvest , the equity capital of the Agency for Nature and Forests .
