Ekskiftet-Linneskogen, Naturreservat

The two Linneskogarna forests, Ekskiftet and Lindskiftet, are valuable broadleaf forests in an area otherwise dominated by arable land. The reserve contains several old, large oak trees that are important for biodiversity, and in the spring, before the leaves burst, the ground is colored by white, yellow and blue anemones.

Stubble meadow that is growing back

The Linnaeus forests originated as stubble meadows. At regular intervals, shoots were taken from the trees and bushes in the meadow and used for fencing, fodder and fuel. The hay was harvested at the end of the summer and then the cows were let out to graze. When agriculture was modernized at the end of the 19th century, the need for meadows decreased and meadows became forests. Today, Ekskiftet is dominated by deciduous forest consisting of oak, beech, hornbeam and birch. There is also a rich shrub layer with, for example, hazel, hawthorn and raspberry, which makes parts of the area difficult to access.

Old trees with lots of life

There are few really old trees and dead wood in today's landscape. A large number of lichens, fungi, and beetles, as well as birds and bats, depend on these gnarled, hollow giants for their survival. The oldest oaks in the Oak Shift are around 130 years old and have started to develop the structures necessary for many species. As the forest ages and develops, hopefully more and more species will move into the reserve.

In English

Welcome to Linneskogen - Ekskiftet and Lindskiftet Nature Reserve

In the shade of Linneskogarna's trees, many woodland plants and animals find a safe haven. The ground comes to life in the spring, in the form of white, yellow and blue wood anemones, cowslips and liverleaf, along with toothwort and suffolk lungwort. And the air is filled with the spring chorus and the drumming of the woodpeckers.

Linneskogarna was originally a wooded meadow with coppice. At regular intervals, people took branches from the trees and bushes in the meadow to be used for fencing, fodder and fuel. The hay was cut at the end of the summer and then the cows were allowed to graze. With the modernization of agriculture at the end of the 1800s, the need for meadows declined and the meadow developed into a woodland.

There is lack of very old trees and dead wood in the modern landscape. A large number of species are dependent on these gnarly, hollow giants for their survival.

In Linneskogarna there are oaks which are as much as 130 years of age and large, old limes and hazel bushes. There are also quite a few dead trees, where beetles such as the black-headed cardinal beetle, can lay their eggs and their larvae can find food. Slowly but surely, as the trees age, more species will move in.

Regulations

Within Linneskogen - Ekskiftet and Lindskiftet Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• remove wood, break branches, fell or in any other way damage living or dead, standing or fallen trees and bushes,
• dig up or in any other way damage boulders, stones, geological formations or stone walls,
• light a fire and use disposable barbeques,
• bring dogs or other pets not on a lead (applies only at Ekskiftet),
• cycle and horse ride,
• erect any kind of foreign (for the nature reserve) objects,
• put up signs, posters, plaques, notices or any other equivalent items,
• introduce foreign (for the nature reserve) plant or animal species,
• intentionally disturb or damage wildlife or their habitats, such as by climbing in trees with nests, chopping or moving decaying wood.

Without permission from the County Administrative Board it is also forbidden to:

• trap and take away or collect insects or other animals with traps which result in death, or in any other way injure wildlife or their habitats,
• collect wood-living fungi,
• put out geocaches (applies only at Ekskiftet).