Amsterdam Forest Receives Ecological Research

Why this is here: The Amsterdamse Bos was originally designed with features like varied heights, water features, and collections of trees from multiple continents, anticipating its appearance decades after planting.

Eva Willemsen, a landscape architect and researcher, is leading ecological studies within Amsterdamse Bos in the Netherlands. The research aims to better reveal the unique qualities of the nearly 1,000-hectare forest, over ninety years after its initial construction. Willemsen and her team established seven inconspicuous “forest labs” where they are actively managing vegetation—removing growth around specific trees to highlight them—to study how design choices impact visitor experience and biodiversity.

The forest, created as a work relief project in the 1930s, functions primarily as a social park intended for recreation. Current management practices have sometimes allowed spontaneous growth to obscure the original design, which included varied landscapes and notable tree collections. Researchers are testing whether targeted interventions, or “interpuncties,” can restore the forest’s intended character and encourage visitors to linger.

However, these interventions—which sometimes involve removing young trees—draw questions from visitors. While the long-term effects of these experiments remain to be seen, Willemsen notes that a city forest is never truly finished and requires ongoing adaptation and management.