Brasschaat - De Inslag - Belgium

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eLTER presents:

Brasschaat - De Inslag - Belgium

The forest at De Inslag in Brasschaat was established in 1929 on a former heathland with scattered fens and cultivated soils. The research site was established in the mid 1980s, conducting long-term research. It encompasses a 2-hectare Scots pine plantation located within a mixed coniferous–deciduous forest on the Campine plain.

The Research Institute for Nature and Forest launched a long-term monitoring programme here in the early nineteen-nineties within the framework of the ICP Forests programme. Situated at an elevation of 16 metres, the flat landscape is characterised by sandy, moderately wet soils with rapid hydraulic conductivity and a locally perched water table on clayey subsoil lenses. The site is part of both the ILTER and LTER Europe networks.

Research at Brasschaat focuses on the impact of air pollution originating from traffic emissions, industrial pollutants from the city of Antwerp and its harbour and ammonia emissions from the intensive animal husbandry on the forest ecosystem. Key studies include air quality monitoring of ozone and nitrogen compounds, the chemical recovery of the soil chemistry from historical pollution (especially sulphur), the water budget of the forest in a changing climate and the impact of ozone uptake on the gross primary production.

These investigations are supported by advanced monitoring tools, such as automatic meteorological sensors installed on the measurement tower at different heights in combination with measurements in the intensive ICP Forests monitoring plot. Samples of foliage, litterfall, rainfall, deposition, soil water, soil solution and soil are analysed at regular time intervals at the laboratory of the Research Institute. Vegetation at the site is dominated by Scots pine, accompanied by a diverse herb, moss, and shrub layer.

This biodiversity, combined with the site's exposure to pollutants, makes De Inslag a significant location for forest health research.

Learn more: https://deims.org/68e6a8e5-d6d2-4c8c-...

This video is part of the eLTER Sites and Platforms Series
Filming location: Brasschaat - De Inslag - Belgium
Cinematography: Evgeni Dimitrov
Video editing: Evgeni Dimitrov and Damjan Gjonov
Production management: Pensoft Publishers
Executive producer: eLTER

We would like to thank our colleagues at LTER Belgium, the whole team at the Brasschaat - De Inslag - Belgium, especially Nathalie Cools, Luc De Geest, Johan Neirynck and Athanaska Verhelst!

The Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological Research (eLTER) receives funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under GA No 871126 (eLTER PPP) and GA No 871128 (eLTER PLUS), and the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under GA No 101131751 (eLTER EnRich).