“Pest Forests”, “Utility Forests” and “Cow Bends”

Small and scattered patches of forests contrast sharply within the context of the flat and monotonous dark green pastures in the Dutch polder landscapes. These patches, with various types of trees, are like little islands, surrounded by ditches. They are not remnants of the original old peat swamp forests but farmers created the patches in the past for particular purposes. Their names offer clear indications: in addition to the general name of ‘small polder forests’ (polderbosjes) they are called ‘pest forests’ (pestbosjes or krengenbosjes, places where contaminated or dead animals were dumped... Mehr ...