Beacon trees along the Meuse saved

Minister Barry Madlener (Infrastructure and Water Management) recently agreed to a proposal to preserve the characteristic beacon trees along the Meuse River.
Although the beacon trees have no protected status, they are widely considered valuable cultural heritage. The trees are located along a length of 100 kilometers along the Meuse River. The trees are in 14 municipalities, including municipality Land van Cuijk. They are mostly planted every 100 meters. It is therefore also called the "longest avenue of the Netherlands."
The beacon trees were planted an estimated 80 years ago. At high tide, the trees served as a beacon for shipping to see the course of the channel. Today's beacon trees are Canada poplars. Under good growing conditions, they can grow over 30 meters tall. Many of the original beacon trees are at the end of their natural life span. In recent years, many have already blown down. More beacon trees are expected to fall in the near future. As a result, the trees can no longer be seen as a cohesive structure, like an avenue of trees.
To prevent this demise, investments are now being made in the preservation and long-term management of the beacon trees. A sum of over 2.3 million euros is available for this purpose.