750 trees on A10 near Amsterdam: green traffic jam of trees |
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| Wibe Koopman,
Monday 23 June 2025 |
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Leading role for Ebben trees in celebration of Amsterdam's 750th anniversary
During the night of June 20 to 21, 750 mature trees and 7,500 small shrubs and bushes were placed on the A10 ring road in Amsterdam. This green artwork by landscape artist Bruno Doedens served as a lush backdrop for the Festival on the Ring event, celebrating Amsterdam's 750th anniversary.
| The A10 on Sunday morning. Usually, cars rush by here. |
Family business Boomkwekerij Ebben played a leading role in this mega project, where technique, logistics, and expertise had to come together. We spoke with project leader Sofie Ebben and landscape artist Bruno Doedens.
Early in the morning, I walk through large containers of mature trees in Cuijk, arranged in long rows, ready for transport to Amsterdam. I feel like I'm in a paradise of native wildflowers and fluttering butterflies; through the green canopies I spot the white blossom of a Catalpa. The contrast with the rumbling sound of shovels in the background is stark.
Nursery Ebben, now run by the fifth generation, has been preparing for months for one of the most special projects in its history: a temporary forest on the A10 ring road in Amsterdam, in collaboration with landscape artist Bruno Doedens. It is a green tribute to the capital, which is celebrating its 750th anniversary this year. For this project, 750 "birthday trees" were carefully selected. The trees were chosen for their robustness and resilience in urban climates. The 750th tree is an elm, a species deeply connected to the city of Amsterdam and therefore symbolic for the whole project.
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After the festival, the trees will move to a tree campsite in Riekerpark. From there, they will be distributed throughout Amsterdam.
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Tree campsite
The selected trees for this project are between 6 and 15 years old and around 5 metres tall. They are large enough to evoke the feeling of a forest, but compact enough for transport. At the base of these trees are a total of 7,500 small shrubs and bushes, such as hazel. The trees are transported in containers, with their crowns left untied to prevent damage to branches and leaves.
Each tree is also equipped with a GPS tracker, so its location can be monitored—for example by a donor.
After the festival, the trees will be moved to a tree campsite in Riekerpark in Amsterdam, which has facilities for irrigation. From there, they will be distributed across various locations in the city.
In total, 101 different species are used, literally from A to Z: from Acer campestre (field maple) to Zelkova serrata (Japanese zelkova).
 | | Sofie Ebben |
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Unique in scale and execution
I speak with Sofie Ebben, project leader of this remarkable initiative. "We're placing all the trees during the night of June 20 to 21. The entire forest must be in place within six hours. Nothing like this has ever been done before," she says enthusiastically.
"No one could tell us how to go about it, so we had to figure everything out ourselves. Normally, we don't transport trees in containers," says Sofie. The trees are placed temporarily on the asphalt of the ring road. "Because of the intense time pressure and the vulnerability of the asphalt, we used repurposed old fruit crates filled with a special lightweight substrate."
The crates needed to be as light as possible. Nothing is allowed to shift or scrape on the asphalt, as too much pressure could damage the soft road surface—unacceptable on a major highway like the A10.
The lightweight substrate has another benefit: it allows more oxygen to reach the roots, helping the trees to establish more quickly. This was crucial due to the short preparation time of just a few months. The downside is that the substrate retains less moisture, so the trees must be watered thoroughly and frequently.
Native wildflowers were chosen and sown in the crates around the trees. This not only looks beautiful and benefits biodiversity, but also helps hold the top layer together and prevents the soil from drying out. That's essential during transport, when no soil may fall from the crates. Trees were specifically selected for having strong root balls, Sofie Ebben explains.
 | | This is how the trees were transported to Amsterdam |
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"They sleep during the day, and build a forest at night."
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Challenging logistics
Special crate tilters were purchased for this project. Like the reused wooden crates, these are commonly used in the fruit-growing sector. The tilters are mounted on shovels. The shovel lifts the crate with the tree and tilts it about 45 degrees to load it onto a truck.
The trees had to be placed during the night of June 20 to 21, under heavy time pressure. Workers operating the crate tilters were unable to see anything in the dark of night. They were guided by a camera mounted on the shovel, showing them what they were doing.
Everything was tested beforehand, Sofie Ebben explains: from the turning radius of the trucks to the operation of the crate tilters. "Our colleagues are familiar with machinery, but this was new. That's why we held a test day; it was essential."
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"Everything was tested, from the trucks' turning circles to using the crate tilters."
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Manitou
Ebben collaborated with dozens of partners: from drivers and logistics planners to rental companies. "We're renting shovels and Manitous, some even from Belgium because of shortages during the festival season in the Netherlands."
A total of 65 trucks were used. Loading took place in Cuijk, after which the trailers travelled to Amsterdam over two days.
"We're working with a team of fifty people," Sofie says. "They sleep during the day and build a forest at night."
 | | Bruno Doedens |
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BOSK2022 project
Bruno Doedens is especially known for the BOSK2022 project in Leeuwarden, where he created a walking forest. Another well-known Doedens project is Circle 4 Change, in which he cycled 5,000 kilometres through Europe with a tree on his bike.
"In 2022 we organised a walking forest in Leeuwarden," says Doedens. "They saw that in Amsterdam too. That's how the idea for the birthday forest came about. A group of people wanted to donate trees for Amsterdam's 750th anniversary, and there was the idea to host a party on the highway. Those ideas quickly came together."
The purpose of the artwork, which Doedens describes as a Gesamtkunstwerk, is to let people literally walk among the trees—in a place where cars normally rush by. This should raise awareness about the role of greenery in the city. Doedens: "A tree is the most beautiful gift you can give, and it's also sustainable. If everyone did that, the world would change."
 | | The birthday forest at the Ebben nursery yard |
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On the A10
It is June 21 and a sweltering midsummer day. The nighttime tree placement on the ring road was a success! People stream onto the long strip of asphalt, seeking shade among the trees to picnic, enjoy an ice cream, or even take a nap.
Not surprisingly: I'm told the difference in radiant temperature between the forest and the middle of the hot asphalt is 15 degrees in the afternoon. Beyond the ecological value and beauty, trees in the city are essential for feeling well on a beautiful summer day.
This article was originally published on June 23, 2025 on the Boomzorg website.
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