Afforestation on dunes

Planting of mostly non-native species of pine to stabilise mobile sand dunes has a long history and has occurred in many parts of Europe. The process involves the use of pine species such as Pinus sylvestris (native), P. contorta, and P. nigra var. maritima in Scotland (e.g. Tentsmuir and Culbin in Scotland). Newborough Warren on Anglesey provides a vivid illustration of the sharp divide between the forest and the dune. Almost total destruction of the native flora and fauna occurs within a very few years when sand dunes are planted with conifers. This is brought about by the progressive shading of the vegetation and the deposition of a carpet of inert needles. Though the dune surface features may still be present the dune vegetation is almost completely replaced and with it the specialist animals which survived there.

Large areas of sand dune have been stabilised in this way. In Denmark, for example, dune plantations began to be established in 1853 and although early attempts were not altogether successful after some experimentation and persistence over the next 150 years some 9,000ha of the 80,000ha or so of sand dune have been planted (Skarregaard 1989). On the French coast much of the 230km long dune system of Les Landes on the Aquitaine coast of France was planted with Pinus maritima, P. pinaster and P. pinea. Traditionally the method used is to heel in seedlings and protect the plants by brushwood thatching, which provides shelter and prevents sand overwhelming the new plants.

References

Skarregaard, P. 1989. Stabilisation of coastal dunes in Denmark. In: Perspectives in Coastal Dune Management, eds.van der Meulen, F., Jungerius, P.D. & Visser, J.H.SPB Academic Publishing bv, The Hague, 151-161.