Trouser forests and stray lights

In a trouser forest, the trees are mainly with their roots in the water. Not many trees like it in such a humid forest, the alder is an exception. They used to grow en masse in the swamps of the Poaching Forest. Stray lights are 'little ghosts' that lured lost travellers even further into the forest. People used to believe that these stray lights live in alders during the day. That is why alders are also called ghost trees. In the swamps where alders grow, there are sometimes really lights at night. Now we know that this gas is from rotting wood, the wood is under water and the gas comes to the surface in a bubble. That sometimes gives a small spark that looks like a light.

Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos