Wooded meadows have been mowed or used for grazing animals and branches have been pruned to feed cattle. Wooded meadows have both growing trees and meadows. In the protected meadows there are at least five pruned trees in a hectare.
In some islands in the South-Western Archipelago National Park and in some other protected areas there are wooded meadows that have been reconditioned into the traditional use. There are less than one hundred hectares of wooded meadows in the continental Finland.
The wooded meadows in groves are especially rich in species. Because there are also trees growing in the meadows, there also grows forest fauna in the shadows of the woods.
In wooded meadows one may…
- graze animals or mow, and prune branches from the trees that have already been pruned so in order to preserve the characteristics of the area.
- Clearing the woods, but not the pruned ones, is also important to preserve the area.
- Everyone is allowed to walk freely in the area.
In wooded meadows on may not…
- cut old pruned trees.
- It is not allowed to build anything in the protected area.
- It is not allowed to fertilize or cultivate the meadow, not it is allowed to seed or plant anything.