Establishment:
Brøndum-Hvidbjerg plantation was established in 1921 due to unemployment in the wake of World War I 1915-1918. Due to bank failures and political unrest, unemployment was high between 18% and 20%. Therefore, Act No. 693 of December 1, 1920 on temporary state subsidies in connection with unemployment was passed. Parish councils were then required to pay (and finance) benefits to the unemployed in the parish.
The parish council for Brøndum-Hvidbjerg did not just want to pay out the benefits. Therefore, 43 hectares of heathland on Hvidbjerg Hede was purchased with the aim of having it planted as a plantation. The land consisted of a mixture of heath and moorland. They chose to use mountain pine for the plantation’s first generation of trees. Mountain pine (Pinus mugo) is a hardy and hardy tree species suitable for lean soils.
Brøndum-Hvidbjerg had a relatively large number of seasonal workers who lacked employment during the winter months, and they were put to work planting and cultivating the plantation in exchange for the subsidy from 1921.
Changed biotope:
As the mountain pine took root and grew up, the wildlife in the area changed. The plantation was filled with hares, wood pigeons, weasels, foxes, crows, small birds and, in the late 1980s, an actual population of roe and fallow deer.
The population of huntable animals led to the founding of a hunting association: Brøndum-Hvidbjerg Kommunes Jagtforening af 1933. The membership fee was 2 kr. The hunting rent was DKK 20 per year. The first hunt in 1933 yielded a small yield: a curlew. The following year, the hunt yielded 5 hares.
Replanting:
After World War II, the plantation was severely thinned out for fuel. This meant that replanting began, mainly with red spruce (Picea Abies). In 1970, the plantation was hit by a heavy storm, and the plantation was heavily forested under the auspices of Spøttrup Municipality (1970-2007). The plantation was then declared a protected forest, which led to targeted planting with storm-resistant tree species. Many species were planted: oak, beech, birch, larch, silver fir (Abies Alba), silver fir (Abies Procera), Norway spruce (Picea Omorika), Sitka spruce (Picea Sitchensis), apple trees, pear trees.
Skive Municipality now manages the plantation based on the following considerations: the forest area must be managed as sustainable forestry with emphasis on the needs of nature and the opportunities for recreational activities for citizens and visitors.
Hunting, nature conservation and nature use:
In 1995, a lake was created in the plantation on the initiative of the hunting association. The lake ensures that game and other animals can drink without leaving the protection of the forest. The lake is named Forest Lake. In 1998, a hunting lodge was built by the lake, the lodge was later extended with a veranda. In 2002 new users arrived in the forest, “horse people” caused a path to be built, this path later grew together with the path system in Hvidbjerg town and out to Rettrup Kærvej. The trail has invited mushroom hunters and hikers into the trees.
Sources:
Reinhold, Steen: Brøndum-Hvidbjerg Plantage 1921-2023. Christmas card 2023, local history group for Brøndum and Hvidbjerg parishes.
Skive city archive: H1826
Vedel-Petersen: Economic surveys April 1, 1921 – March 31, 1923. Nationaløkonomisk Tidsskrift, Volume 3rd series, 32 (1924)
Spøttrup local archive
www.trae.dk
www.skive.dk Folder Hvidbjerg Plantage 2023.indd
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