Jensen & Sørensen’s Plantation is a 260-hectare plantation near Rønbjerg. The plantation is located in a large nature area between Skive and Vinderup. It is owned and operated by the descendants of Andreas and Frederikke Sørensen and Marinus and Else Jensen.
The area used to consist of bog and heathland, and from 1899 the Jensen and Sørensen families ran the Rønbjerg Peat Factory, which was one of the largest in the area. When the peat mass gradually ran out, the families decided to convert the large area of bog and heathland to forestry.
Rønbjerg Peat Factory
In 1899, printer Marinus Jensen (Skive Folkeblad) and farmer Andreas Sørensen joined forces to establish Rønbjerg Tørvefabrik in the desolate heath and bog area near Rønbjerg. 22 years earlier, the train station in Rønbjerg had opened, and the proximity to the railway provided a good basis for transporting ready-made peat for fuel to consumers.
The area was previously characterized by a population of rakers. During the 1800s, they were gradually integrated with the rest of society. Among other things, many found work in the peat industry.
The demand for peat was high during the First World War, when there was a shortage of other types of fuel. In the decades that followed, demand continued and peaked during the Second World War, when fuel was again in short supply.
Conversion to forestry
As early as the 1920s, it became clear that the bogs would eventually be emptied of peat, and in 1926 the Jensen and Sørensen families decided to gradually convert to forestry. This was done by founding the limited liability company “Jensen og Sørensenens Mindeplantage” with a total of 30 shares – 15 for each family.
Peat production ceased completely in 1948, and in the following years large areas were planted by the shareholders and their spouses and children on so-called planting days. The character of the area changed dramatically and was now characterized by beautiful forest roads through a magnificent natural landscape.
The number of shares today (2025) is 120, with 60 for each family. The daily management of the plantation is handled by the board of directors, which until 1975 consisted of four members and later six members.
Sources
- Mortensen, Niels: “Tørvegravning på Skive-egnen var også børnearbejde”, Skiveegnens Jul 1990, p. 39-47.
- Ottesen, Arne: Rønbjerg Peat Factory – Jensen and Sørensen’s Plantation, Aps, Rønbjerg, 1899-1999.
- Jensen & Sørensens Plantage: Homepage – history.