Fresh air instead of exhaust fumes, right in the middle of the A10 motorway! On 21 June 2025, something truly unique will take place: for one day only, a Birthday Forest will appear on Amsterdam’s ring road, a temporary forest to celebrate the city’s 750th anniversary. The Healthy City Foundation is organising this special event as a birthday gift to the city, in collaboration with companies, organisations, residents and the municipality. Tree nursery Ebben will supply and care for the trees: 750 trees of about seven metres tall, along with 7,500 smaller trees in wooden crates, representing more than 100 different species. It will be a military-style operation carried out with the precision of a Swiss watch, in the dead of night.
From Exhaust Fumes to Forest Air
The forest will be part of a 15-kilometre-long festival site on the Ring. With this initiative, Foundation “De Gezonde stad” and landscape artist Bruno Doedens, together with entrepreneurs, the municipality, social organisations, companies and individuals, want to draw attention to the importance of trees in the city and show how greenery impacts people. Bruno Doedens, who in 2022 led a ‘walking forest’ of 1,200 trees through the heart of Leeuwarden, aims to inspire and amaze visitors with the forest.
The 500-metre-long Birthday Forest is meant to be experienced. That’s why it will offer a wide range of artistic and educational activities. Visitors can join the Robin Wood Expedition, listen to mythical forest stories, encounter mysterious forest figures, decorate nesting boxes, enjoy a choir, and set off with a “forest ranger.” There is also much to learn about nature in Amsterdam, both past and present, allowing visitors to experience for themselves what nature can mean for life in the city. The forest offers inspiration, but it is also a place for meeting others and finding calm.
Birth of a Moveable Forest
In February of this year, 101 different tree species were uprooted and placed in wooden fruit crates. Among them, the Malus ‘Mokum’ and Ulmus ‘Amsterdam’ serve as a deliberate nod to the city of Amsterdam. Using a variety of tree species brings clear added value to the living environment. It increases biodiversity, improves resilience against diseases and pests, and contributes to a wider range of ecological functions.
To allow the trees to root sufficiently within 4.5 months while still remaining manageable for transport to Amsterdam, a light but nutrient-rich substrate was carefully selected. The trees were also anchored in their crates for added stability. The 7,500 smaller trees were then placed among the larger specimens. To enhance the experience of a real forest, a native wildflower mix was sown, featuring species that naturally grow along forest edges. Due to the extremely dry spring, additional irrigation systems were installed to keep the young plantings healthy.
A Complex Logistical Operation
On 19 June, the trees will begin their journey to Amsterdam, where they will be placed “behind the scenes” in a depot. While the city sleeps, a complex logistical operation will unfold during the night of 20 to 21 June, as all 750 trees are positioned in place. Within a six-hour window, sixteen trucks will drive non-stop from the depot to the A10. Each truck can carry an average of fourteen trees. Six teams, spread across the 500 metres, will be ready to unload the trees.
The following night, Tree nursery Ebben’s team will have eight hours to remove the trees from the stage before traffic resumes, leaving behind nothing but a midsummer night’s dream.
Final Destination: Amsterdam
The Birthday Forest is more than a temporary tribute to 750 years of Amsterdam, it marks the beginning of a broader greening of the city and region. All trees from the forest will be given a permanent home afterwards. The City of Amsterdam will plant 750 mature trees in public spaces, offered as a gift to the city by fourteen entrepreneurs.
In addition, half of the 7,500 smaller trees will be distributed to residents in November during Trees for Amsterdam, the annual event organised by De gezonde stad Foundation. The remaining 3,750 trees will be planted in the Amsterdam region, in collaboration with Trees for All and De Groene Stelling. This effort aligns with the shared ambition of both organisations to add 75,000 trees to the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area in the coming years.
The Birthday Forest is also part of Circle4Change, a living artwork that travels through European cities, setting greening in motion. It connects local initiatives with an international mission: building healthy, green and climate-resilient cities for the future.
