A pioneer tree in a new food forest

Pilgrims who have walked the Walk of Wisdom in recent months have walked past an inspired new food forest along the route: Food Forest Worldly. The forest is still in the pioneering phase and is not yet recognizable as a food forest.

The forest rises on previously unsightly horse pastures on route map 17 in Malden, 60 kilometers from our starting point. It is located on a beautiful avenue and a small estate (the Elshof). Owner Paul Dirven wants to create a “We-forest” with, among others, Nijmegen resident of the year 2019 – Qader Shafiq. A forest where diversity is the starting point and where everyone can come and pick and meet each other freely. There is already a ‘Dutch Lunch’ with vml. Syrian refugees where the official language – despite the title – is Dutch to practice the language.

Pioneer Damiaan Messing and co-developer Manja Bente were immediately enthusiastic and donated a walnut tree together. “Damiaan will soon be saying goodbye to the foundation and we were looking for a nice gesture to end our nine years of collaboration on the route,” says Manja. A bench, a water tap, all kinds of things passed by. Damien: “It has become a walnut tree in this nice place.”

Tree of Wisdom

In two or three years, the Walnut tree (Juglans Nigra) will be able to bear nuts. A nice thought is that the notes can be shared among pilgrims and other visitors. It can live up to 200 years and reach a height of up to 40 meters. Paul has given him a spacious place and is already looking for a matching bench and a gate through the fence, so that passers-by and pilgrims can sit there.

The implantation on May 1st – beautiful: it was raining! – was really a ‘we-job’: Yasser, Mireille, Muhammad, Paul & Qader lent a hand and Daan, Sverre & Olaf had already done the most difficult job by digging the hole a few days earlier.

Paul has given it a name: Tree of Wisdom. For us, it’s the Pioneer Tree.

More about the food forest Worldly in Malden: link.