Hospice forests

The Hospice Woods are a forest and nature area near the East Flanders town of Nazareth. The area measures 58 ha.

The area was completely forested until the 12th century and was called Scheldeholt. The forest was then cleared and an area of wasteland emerged, known as Scheldeveld. In 1846, about 500 ha of forest remained. The heath-like Scheldeveld was largely cultivated after the introduction of artificial fertilizers. Eventually, only about 100 ha of forest remained, of which the Hospice Woods made up more than half. These woods are named so because they were owned by the OCMW. Between 1920 and 1950, it mainly served as a production forest, and many exotic conifers were planted, such as Japanese larch, Corsican pine, and Douglas fir. Eventually, the forest was purchased by the province of East Flanders and gradually developed into a nature reserve.

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