Flowering season 2018
info: in the southwestern part of the forest, called ‘Keldergat’, trees have been felled this year (wood extraction). Trunks and crowns are lying in various places in that part of the forest and there are piles of firewood along the trails. From 1 March to 30 June however, the wood extraction stops (“schoon” time) and the loggers are not allowed to continue their work. “Schoon” time comes from the German “Schonen” meaning ‘save’, ‘protect’. The “schoon” period helps to protect the vegetation (spring flowers), to ‘save’ and not to disturb the nesting birds.
Permission for commercial or professional photo shoots, with or without models, or film recordings must be requested via the box office. In the Hallerbos you must always stay on the paths, also when taking pictures and filming. The soil and vegetation are fragile and very sensitive to trampling. The use of drones is not allowed in the forest.
There are more flowering wild daffodils by the day. They will be the most conspicuous spring flowers for the next week. Small wood anemones start appearing, but they are far from forming a white flower carpet. Still deep between the leaves, a few flower buds of bluebells are hidden, but a ‘blue forest’ is not yet imminent. Roe deer enjoy the quiet in the wood. It is important to stay on the paths not to disturb them, you can enjoy the plants and the animals while always staying on the paths. Please respect their home when visiting the forest. In April and in early May there will be a special accessibility arrangement over the weekend, which can be found here.
A sunny sky, no freezing temperatures, perfect weather for spring flowers. The wild daffodils hold their heads up again and enjoy the sun. The first flowering wood anemones turn to the sun, gathering as much sunlight as they can like real sunbathers. On sunny slopes, the first yellow stars of lesser celandine appear. Tomorrow afternoon, in the bosmuseum, the practical approach to the coming bluebell’s time will be presented to the press, as well as the new walking map.
Some powder snow, -2°C, the coldest 17 March in 100 years… a wintery cold spell, only a few days before the beginning of spring. The wild daffodils bow to the cold, some seem to be withering already. Fortunately not all daffodils are in bloom, let us hope that some other ‘Easter flowers’ (as they are called in Dutch) will be there to enjoy by the end of the month. Even the first flowering wood anemones suffer from the cold.
Blooming of the wild daffodils has now slowly started. It will reach its peak by the end of the month. In the parts of the wood with deciduous trees, “schoontijd” (= a recovery period) started on 1 March, the exploitation of timber has been brought to a standstill until 30 June. The timber that is ready, lying next to the paths, however, can still be transported. Tiny wood anemone plants appear, and wild bluebell’s leaves pierce through the brown carpet of beech leaves. Lesser periwinkle is blooming. It is so important for wanderers and photographers to stay on the official paths at all times. This is the case throughout the year in Hallerbos, so as not the make the soil dense and hard.
In the forest edges cornelian cherry is blooming, as well as coltsfoot with its yellow ray flowers. In these two plants, flowers appear before the leaves. In former times coltsfoot was used in folk medicine to get rid of a cough. Its scientific name ‘Tussilago’ refers to this. The first wild daffodils are blooming. Along the northern side of the Molenbeekvallei, which is directed to the sun, in the provincial domain of Huizingen, daffodils have been blooming for two weeks. The blooming of common gorse is coming to an end.
The trees sold by public auction in June, are being measured and marked (with a hammer as wooden seal stamp). To measure the trees, the foresters use a digital measuring clamp. After determining the species of tree and measuring its circumference, the bark of the tree is removed with the ax-side of the hammer, and with the Royal stamp-side the shape of a lion is beaten in the heartwood.