De Ark
A forest learning center in Sint-Niklaas.
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Youth Impacted
The Ark is a primary school following the Freinet principle of ‘life learning’.
Here, students can discover a vast living space full of wonderful creatures, stories, possibilities, communities, cozy corners and thrilling adventures.
On our journey of teaching the next generation, we understand our responsibility to (re-)connect pupils with their natural environment, so they can be rooted in neutral but diverse, common but extraordinary, thrilling but non-judgmental ground. And from those roots, build their own dreams as individuals and as engaged members of the community.
Forest Maker
Nicolas de Brabandère
Forest Partner
Forest Report: 2023
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Average of Tallest 3 Trees
The grove is in the children’s playground and so can become quite crowded over the summer months. It’s wonderful to see the children playing nearby - reconnecting with Nature - but perhaps in this instance, there has been a little too much pressure on the forest! As such, there is a piece of clearing where the trees weren’t able to successfully grow, not helped by the summer drought.
We are still waiting for specific forest vegetation to develop under the trees. There are quite a few stinging nettles, as with many areas in Flanders, due to the excess nitrogen in the soil.
Biodiversity Notes:
Forest Report: 2022
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This pocket forest is growing well, with the birches - silver birch (Betual pendula) and downy birch (Betula pubescens) developing especially well.
Survival rate has suffered a little this year due to a population of rabbits ravaging the forest. Though following installation of a wire fence, this has addressed the issue and the rabbits have disappeared. This forest appears to have coped very well with the summer drought.
The forest is a joy for the school community, and classes are now being held in it regularly - in the area damaged by the rabbits.
Biodiversity Notes:
Various native perennials and flowering plants are now thriving in the forest, including sorrel (Rumex acetosa), creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens), narrow plantain (Plantago lanceolata), wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare) and ironwort (Sideritis syriaca).
“The world is our classroom, starting with the nearby school environment and neighborhood. As we venture out into the world, we discover a vast living space full of wonderful creatures, stories, possibilities, communities, cozy corners and thrilling adventures.”
Mieke Derynck, De Ark, leader in environment
Forest Report: 2021
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A big maintenance day happened on October 1 with the children of the school. We did have a small incident in this pocket forest — the local ‘park team’ thought it would be a great idea to create a path through the forest so they cleared some trees. The school direction has taken action, the missing trees will be replanted and they fenced the site.
Planting: February 2021
Soil Sampling
Checking for:
- Fertility
- Minerals & Elements
- Beneficial Biology - Microbes and Fungi
- Organic matter - that holds water and carbon
