Josvainiai Forest

The Josvainiai Forest (Lithuanian: Josvainių miškai) is a forest in Kėdainiai District Municipality, central Lithuania, located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the west from Kėdainiai and 4 km to the north from Josvainiai. It covers an area of 3,110 hectares (7,700 acres). It consists of smaller forests: Josvainiai Forest (proper), Medininkai Forest, Giraitė. The rivers Smilga, Smilgaitis and Tranys drain the forest (the Nevėžis basin).

Josvainiai Forest Lithuanian: Josvainių miškai
Inside the forest at the surroundings of Keleriškiai
Geography
Location	Kėdainiai District Municipality, Lithuania
Coordinates	55.318°N 23.790°E
Area	31.1 km^2 (12.0 sq mi)
Ecology
Forest cover	birch, spruce, aspen
Fauna	wild boar, roe deer, red fox

As of 2005, 52 % of the area was covered by birch, 24 % by spruce, 5 % by aspen, 8 % by ash, 3 % by oak, 3 % by black alder, 3 % by white alder, 2 % by pine tree groups.[1] The fauna of the forest consists of wild boar, roe deer, red fox, raccoon dog, pine marten, also there are hazel grouses, black storks, Eurasian woodcocks, common buzzards, sparrowhawks, northern goshawk, owls.[2] The forest is included into Dotnuva-Josvainiai Biosphere Polygon,[1] also there is the Smilga Landscape Sanctuary in the forest.

During the Soviet era, there was a rocket base (now in ruins) in the forest nearby Keleriškiai. There are Barsukynė, Palainiškiai, Čiukiškiai, Stasiūnai, Grašva villages inside the forest or on its edges.

Images

• 
  Forest nearby Šiukštuliškiai village
• 
  The Smilga River inside the forest
• 
  A spruce forest with oxalis acetosella floor
• 
  Forest in winter
• 
  Allium ursinum in the forest

References

1. Brukas, Algirdas (2006). Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). 9. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. p. 737.
2. Brukas, Algirdas (1986). Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). 2. Vilnius: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija.