The meadows of the river side

Meadows – a piece of the traditional landscape
Meadows are a part of the traditional landscape of the countryside - they are habitats of many animals and plants. The meadows are important also when considering the conservation of nature, because they are a very versatile and often unique natural environment. When meadows have been destroyed many species have become endangered.

There were 1,6 million hectares of meadow land in Finland in the 1880’s; twice as much as arable land. At that time the meadows were an important factor in agriculture. According to the statistics made in 1989, Finland has only 120 000 hectares of meadow land left. Most of that land is cultivated and fertilized, so the natural and mowed meadows are very rare nowadays.

Care

Meadows need regular care annually. The treatments are pasturing and mowing the meadow and sometimes clearing to prevent too much growth.

The sheep of Myllyranta are borrowed from a near-by farm. When there are no own animals available, which is the case very often nowadays, borrowing the animals is a very good alternative. When the animals are put out to pasture, it is important to remember to control it, so that the meadow does not get overpastured. Because of this control you can not always see animals pasturing in the meadows.

The mowing of the meadow can be done traditionally by scythe or by mower or line cutter. In most cases one mowing per year is enough. The best time for mowing is right after the blooming and after the seeds have ripened in late summer. But if there grow some unwanted plants, the mowing can be done before the seeds ripen. The mowed underbrush is always taken away to prevent eutrophication. The grass can be fed to animals or can be composted. 

Life in the woods

The natural value of the woods in Koski is very high and that is why the area is kept as virgin and untouched as possible. The woods have not been turned into a so called recreational area and that should be considered when walking there.

The old deciduous trees, dead trees and rotten trees lying on the ground are very important when thinking about the polymorphism of nature. Except the paths, the undergrowth has been left untouched. Especially birds and squirrels enjoy the lifein the woods.