Visingsö Oak Forest: A forest of immensely tall and unusually straight oak trees planted nearly 200 years ago to build naval ships that never came to be.
Visingsö Oak Forest: A forest of immensely tall and unusually straight oak trees planted nearly 200 years ago to build naval ships that never came to be.
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It was around 1830, soon after the end of the devastating Napoleonic Wars, and the Swedish Crown sent out a delegation to search for ideal spots to plant for future ship production. Three of those emissaries came to a small croft on Visingsö, a narrow island in the middle of Vättern (Sweden’s second largest lake).
Here they spied three magnificent oaks just outside of an old woman’s farmhouse. They took one with them back to Stockholm, and it didn’t take much to convince the Royal Navy that Visingsö had nearly perfect conditions for lumber production. Over the next ten years, 300 000 oak trees were planted.
Knowing how slowly the trees grow, the Navy was thinking awfully far ahead to supply itself with material to keep afloat well into the 20th century. But by the time the trees were ready, almost 150 years later, they showed no interest in using them, having long converted to ship hulls crafted from iron and steel.
Ha! Harvest time! Lets build all those Vasa’s and set sail for Poland!
One more piece of evidence that choice of the right strains and right tree species can produce forests that are resistant to both drought and to insect infestation.
And, to wind storms. And ice storms.
This island also has castle ruins and stuff. Really cool place