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.

Pupils from ‘Heilig Hart College’ in Halle were really enthousiastic to come and plant trees this afternoon. The forest was expanded by 0.6 ha along the Hallerbosstraat. Rain nor wind could hold them back from planting the 1000 pedunculate oaks. Also hornbeams en large-leaved limes were planted. Shrubs will be planted along the edges.

Holes are being dug for trees along the Hallerbosstraat, on a grassland that will be afforested.