Scivil, in collaboration with the University of Antwerp and UCLouvain, is launching the Plataancheck project. This initiative enables citizens to help investigate how much fine particulate matter is present in their local area by collecting bark from plane trees.
Afbeelding van Charles Risen via Pixabay
Plane trees trap fine particles in their bark. By analysing this bark, researchers can gain a clearer picture of air quality across different neighbourhoods in Belgium. Anyone can take part: collect a small piece of bark from a plane tree, submit your sample, and the researchers will do the rest.
The collection period is currently underway and runs until the end of April 2026. This is therefore the perfect moment to get involved and contribute to research on healthy air.
