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Category: Old-growth forest

From pixels to pines: exploring Bulgaria’s Rhodopes ForestsExploring Bulgarian forests

From pixels to pines: exploring Bulgaria’s Rhodopes Forests

Published February 4, 2026 by Gesche Schifferdecker

#RestorationStory by Annabel Burg, Sietse van der Woude, and Niamh Kelly

It was the last day of June 2025 when our small group set out from Schiphol Airport. Traveling with us, three PhD students from Wageningen University and Research, were two colleagues: Gert-Jan Nabuurs, Professor of European Forest Resources at Wageningen University, and Thomas Groen, Associate Professor of Remote Sensing at the University of Twente. Our destination was Bulgaria – a country that, until then, most of us knew little about. We were curious, not only about its history and culture, but especially about its landscapes. Despite its modest size, Bulgaria is blessed with mountains, rivers, caves, and lakes. More than one-third of the country is covered by forests, making it one of Europe’s most densely forested and biodiverse nations.

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Ancient giants and modern challenges – exploring the forests of British Columbia 

Ancient giants and modern challenges – exploring the forests of British Columbia 

Published October 30, 2023 by Bas Lerink

By Bas Lerink & Gert-Jan Nabuurs (Wageningen University & Research) 

Douglas fir trees tower over our heads, as we make our way through the inlands of Vancouver Island. While the dimensions of these trees are already impressive, the enormous stumps around them act like headstones of the fallen giants that once dominated the Canadian west coasts’ forests. Some of the stumps bear clear signs of the efforts that were needed to fell them. 150 years ago, settlers were balancing on planks while sawing their way through the thick tree trunks. The cavities where they mounted the planks are visible in photo 1. 

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