Burned branches and trees have been left in place in a forest near Bergen op Zoom after a fire in May burned an area of about 50 by 50 metres. A forest ranger said removing the dead wood would harm the ecosystem, because small ground animals break it down into nutrients that are taken up by surviving trees.

The ranger said the fire had caused a loss of biodiversity and that some plant species may struggle to return. Its effects on trees may take years to become clear: roots can have been badly weakened even where trees still leaf out in spring. He also said the fire could create space for new species, including deciduous trees in an area now dominated by conifers.