East of the village of Nijnsel and the hamlet of Vressel, both in Meierijstad, North Brabant, Netherlands, is the location of the Vresselse bossen or Vresselsche Bosch (Vressels Forest). [1] [2] [3] The Vresselse Bossen is a forest area of 241 ha. It is owned and managed by the National Forest Service (Staatsbosbeheer). The forest is named after the nearby hamlet of Vressel.
It is a young forest that planted in a drift-sand ridge. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was scarcely a tree in the area. The area consisted mainly of dunes and heathland. At the edges of the area lived farmers who were severely affected by the shifting sands. To protect the fields was therefore decided to reforest the drift-sand. At that time, almost exclusively pine was used for the reforesting. In the 1920s, it had become a production forest consisting of Scots pine for the Limburgian mines.
Within the area, there are two main fen systems: The Hazenputten and the Oude Putten. Rare vegetation is found around the fens: among others White beak-sedge and bog asphodel can be found here.
The contemporary management by Staatsbosbeheer focuses on getting a more varied forest composition, including native oak, linden and beech. To prevent the Hazenputten from drying, competing for vegetation is removed around the pools. The area around the marshes has been grazed by Highland cattle and Exmoor horses in the past.
The area has a rich bird population. Breeding birds are: yellowhammer, kingfisher, black woodpecker, northern goshawk, little grebe, European green woodpecker, common buzzard, great egret, long-eared owl, coal tit, little owl, barn owl and crested tit.
Also many species of mammals can be encountered: These include: roe deer, European badger, Eurasian harvest mouse, European polecat, European water vole, European hedgehog, Eurasian red squirrel, common pipistrelle, European hare, brown long-eared bat, stoat, serotine bat, European mole, Natterer's bat, least weasel, red fox, Daubenton's bat, beech marten and several species of shrew, dormice, apodemus and arvicolinae.
The "Hazenputten" was nominated by Staatsbosbeheer for the title of "Most beautiful spot" in the Netherlands in 2013. [4]
The Vresselse Bossen are part of Het Groene Woud, a vast nature area between Eindhoven, Den Bosch and Tilburg. West of the Vresselse Bossen lies the valley of the Dommel; in the northwest, the Vresselse Forest reaches the Moerkuilen. To the north, there is the reclaimed heathland of the Jekschot Heath and to the east lies the DAF test track and Mariahout Forest.
North Brabant, also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the west, and the Flemish provinces of Antwerp and Limburg to the south. The northern border follows the Meuse westward to its mouth in the Hollands Diep strait, part of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. North Brabant had a population of about 2,626,000 as of January 2023. Major cities in North Brabant are Eindhoven, Tilburg, Breda, its provincial capital 's-Hertogenbosch, and Helmond
The Meierij van 's-Hertogenbosch was one of the four parts of the Duchy of Brabant, the others being the Margraviate of Antwerp, the County of Brussels and the County of Leuven/Louvain. Located in the current-day Netherlands, it acquired its name from the bailiff of 's-Hertogenbosch, who administered the area in the name of the Dukes of Brabant. The Meierij roughly corresponds to the larger province of North Brabant.
Sint-Oedenrode is a town in the Dutch province of North Brabant.
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The Strabrechtse Heide is a natural heathland area about 1500 ha in size, located in the municipalities of Heeze-Leende, Someren and Geldrop-Mierlo, in North Brabant, the Netherlands. It is largely under the care of Staatsbosbeheer. In July 2010, around 200 hectares of the area were damaged or destroyed in a wildfire that took over a week to put out.
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Nijnsel is a village in the province of North Brabant, located in the Meierij of 's-Hertogenbosch. Nijnsel is a parish of the municipality of Meierijstad.
The Moerkuilen are, along with the Dommelbeemden a forestry area in a bend of the Dommel river north east of Nijnsel in Meierijstad. It is located at the Lieshoutse Dijk, not far from the A50 motorway. The protected area measures over 100 acres and connects with the Vresselse Bossen in the south. The Moerkuilen are part of the larger area Het Groene Woud.
The Dommelbeemden are, along with the Moerkuilen a forestry area in a bend of the Dommel river northeast of Nijnsel in Meierijstad. It is located at the Lieshoutse Dijk, not far from the A50 motorway. The protected area measures over 100 acres. The Dommelbeemden are part of the larger area Het Groene Woud.
The forest and nature area the Geelders is located at the western side of the village of Olland in Meierijstad, North Brabant and covers almost 300 hectares. The Geelders are part of the larger area Het Groene Woud.
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Sint-Oedenrode is a moderately urbanized city and capital of the former municipality of the same name in the province of North Brabant. The city is located in the Meierij of 's-Hertogenbosch. Sint-Oedenrode counts 17,928 inhabitants and has an area of 64.25 km². The municipality has traditionally city rights since 1232, and was known as a "Vlek" in the past. Today it is still a large town. From southeast to northwest, the city is split by the river the Dommel.
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