Sustainable production

“I am proud that we are one of the few companies that produce oxygen instead of CO2.” (Pieter van den Berk)

Trees are a living product and a healthy, sustainable production can only be maintained whenever they are cultivated in good harmony with nature. For a long time, the company has valued the sustainable and environmental production of trees. Van den Berk cultivates its trees and shrubs according to the criteria of the Stichting Milieukeur. These criteria amply comply with the norms set by the Dutch government with regard to sustainable purchasing. However, Van den Berk goes one step further. The company not only stays within the norms, but has also minimized the use of crop protection products per hectare and now has one of the lowest consumption figures per hectare. This gives more room to both flora and fauna. The plots are characterized by a rich insect life and offer nesting and feeding opportunities for many types of birds and other animals. Following this line of argument, Van den Berk also cooperates with researchers in the field of air quality. PPO, the research bureau at Wageningen University, recently researched the environmental contribution of the trees at the nursery. One of the results was that a tree size 50-60 stores around 20 times more CO2 than a tree size 16-18. Read more about this topic in the 2009-2010 tree guide or have a look on  www.thegreencity.eu

All available trees and shrubs at the Van den Berk Nurseries carry the ‘Ecolabel’ certificate (Milieukeur). This makes it one of the largest acreages of sustainably produced trees and shrubs in Europe.

Van den Berk Nurseries interprets these durable production goals within the company by implementing the following environmental measures. 
Soil:
In between harvests, we sow a green manure, such as oilseed radish, for one growing season to enhance the soil structure.
The plots are almost exclusively fertilized using organic deep litter manure from cows and goats or compost.
All prunings are shredded and partly worked into the soil to create a good organic substance content. The decomposition of the shredded wood binds the nitrogen in the soil, which then does not get washed away. The nitrogen is released later and more slowly and is gradually absorbed by the trees. 
Cultivation:
All trees are planted with sufficient space in between. This gives them the best opportunity to develop and makes it possible to sow grass in between the trees, which creates a good living environment for different types of insects and other animals.
The presence of insects means that there are many natural enemies in between the trees; this creates a natural balance which minimizes the chance of pests, which again means less pesticides are necessary.
Any pests that do occur, are controlled extremely selectively, which means that less pesticides are used than before.
In places where grass is sown, there are few weeds; no weed killers are necessary, which reduces the environmental impact.
The strip of land alongside ditches is not sprayed.   
Materials:
Die Rodung und Verpackung der Bäume geschieht mit natürlichen Materialien wie Jute und Kokos. Diese sind biologisch abbaubar und somit nicht umweltbelastend.
FSC approved paper is used for all correspondence, our tree guide and other publications.
All waste is separated and all paper is collected for recycling.   
Environment:
To ensure the nursery fits in with the environment we have created a number of special areas, with e.g. windbreaks, pollard willows, toad pools, and wild flowers.
The plots are all diversified, with varied plantings.