Lithuania — where nature belongs to itself, and is allowed to develop without any human influence.
Ancient woods, what is it?
It’s a space where people don’t cultivate or save the forest according to their own understanding, where all organisms are equal and no one is thought of as harmful.
Inhabitants of the ancient woods
Ural owl
Ural owls are typical old forest residents. Researchers claim that there are only eighty to hundred breeding pairs left in Lithuania, due to an intense deforestation, imposed by people. The latter presents one of the greatest threats to these sedentary night travelers, choosing to settle inside the hollows of old-growth trees.
Western capercaillie
The exotic western capercaillie, once an ordinary inhabitant of Lithuanian pine forests, and now — a rarely seen feathered dweller. The drastic decrease in the number of capercaillies in Lithuania was caused by a gradual destruction of the territories it inhabits. Famous for their wedding ritual, capercaillies gather in the same areas called wedding venues, year after year to seduce females and mate. If the ritual territory isn’t destroyed, it’s used by capercaillies for decades.
Grey-headed woodpecker
Grey-headed woodpeckers are known as one of the most colorful forest birds. Like many other members of the genetic bird family, it needs mature masses of trees, rich in dead wood. It especially likes thick snags, of which there are hardly any left in Lithuania. As grey-headed woodpeckers tend to forge new hollows every year, its apartments remain for other forest animals, such as sparrow owls, bats and dormice.
Black stork
One of the most mysterious inhabitants of the ancient woods is the secretive black stork. There are just over 500 pairs in Lithuanian forests, which makes around 10% of the entire European population. Even so, it has declined by as much as 30% over the past two decades, and the number one cause of extinction is a shortage of old-growth deciduous trees.
Coral tooth fungus
Coral tooth fungus mostly grows in moist forests, on old veteran trees or coarse woody debris. These elegant forest dwellers allow you to enjoy its ephemeral beauty for only one season, if it shows up at all. In Lithuania, you can find it in just twenty places. The number is caused due to a removal of large, coarse woody debris from old-growth and mixed forests, which are necessary for the survival of these fungi.
Tree lungwort
Tree lungwort is one of the largest and probably one of the most impressive lichens in Lithuania. Although still found in relatively many places, its population is rapidly declining. Genuine shrubs of this luxurious lichen can only be found in small fragments of Lithuanian ancient forests, untouched by human activity for a long time.
Orange polypore
Orange polypore is a bright, yellowish-pink sponge mushroom, found on old large oaks. Although it’s often confused with a common edible mushroom - chicken of the woods, it’s considered a rare species, that grows only in about thirty places. These spectacular mushrooms flourish on old-growth or recently fallen oaks in ancient forests and its fragments.
Lynx
Lynx, like all members of the cat family, has the ability to run extremely fast, though only for short distances. In order for them to survive, old, dense forests with numerous wind fallen trees are a must. Only in such forests can they sneak behind their victims and create lairs, suitable for giving birth to kittens. Lynxes have been included in the Red Data Book of Lithuania since 1979, with the current population of these elegant predators reaching a mere number of hundred individuals.
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The state of the ancient woods in Lithuania
As forests disappear, so do their inhabitants, bound by strong bonds of dependence. Due to vigorous human activity, the old groves, which make up 80% of the territory of Lithuania, have disappeared, and with them - many species that lived inside.
Country's forests are increasingly used for industrial purposes. One of them is the transport of timber to the West for shipbuilding. Given that roads and railways are still lacking in many wooded areas, timber is transported by simply letting rafts flow downstream in watery rivers.
It’s believed that one of these water transport routes also continued across the river Žeimena. There underwater archaeologists discovered as many as 20 metal axes, which were made between the 15th and 18th centuries and are thought of as being used for cutting down oaks, growing nearby.
Industrial felling continues to intensify. With the development of industry in Central and Western Europe, there’s a shortage of wood. The latter begins to be shipped from the Eastern Europe.
In the second half of the 19th century, a construction of the St. Petersburg - Warsaw railway is built throughout Lithuania. An intensive trade in forest and timber begins.
The First World War led to an intensive deforestation, especially on the eastern outskirts of Lithuania, near the St. Petersburg - Warsaw railway.
In 1914 - 1916 a narrow-gauge railway was built for timber transportation to Marcinkoniai, through the depths of Dainava forest. The locals dubbed it the ‘French Road’ — due to Germans using French war prisoners to build it.
Strict nature reserves are the only areas in Lithuania, where forests have the potential to turn into ancient woods. As of now, they make up only 1.225% of Lithuanian forest territory.
Although the average age of the trees within can reach three hundred years, in Lithuanian reserves it only manages to get to the age of seventy five.
Nevertheless, it’s possible to find forest fragments with an average lifetime of almost two hundred years, yet they make up less than one percent — 0.0009% of Lithuania’s land.
Due to mass felling, many species that require constant, slow-changing conditions, found only in old forests, are rapidly declining. Around 80% of protected forest insect species are in great danger, due to the lack of dead wood, which also threatens many species of fungi that decompose it.
The remaining community of plants, animals and microbes depend on these two species, enabling an uninterrupted chain of life, with each link providing one another with food and housing.
Although the oldest and most valuable forests are situated in hard-to-reach places for loggers, it cannot be saved without human protection. It depends only on us — will future generations be able to see the ancient woods of Lithuania?
History of the Ancient Woods Foundation
"The dream of preserving Lithuanian old forests from felling, that slowly contributes to the irreversible destruction of animal, plant and mushroom habitats, began in childhood." Mindaugas Survila
The idea of establishing a foundation to preserve the old-growth forests of Lithuania arose after seeing the public interest in the documentary "Ancient Woods". Director, Mindaugas Survila, set aside the money it made, 60 thousand euros, towards purchasing the first forest plots, positioned to become the first public, Lithuanian ancient forest.
Further activities of the foundation will be based on privately donated funds, dedicated to the acquisition of forest plots. In this way, forests will be protected from felling and the first ancient forest in Lithuania will be established.
The team of Ancients Woods Foundation consists of a large community of scientists and professionals, united by a common goal of restoring the old Lithuanian forests and the belief that only by working together, true change can be achieved.
Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas
The Patron of the Ancient Woods Foundation, world-famous scientist, conservationist, educator.
Mindaugas Survila
Author and main initiator of the Foundation, documentary filmmaker
dr. Mindaugas Lapelė
A botanist who has dedicated his life to the conservation of nature and public education
dr. Ainis Pivoras
Biologist, that works in botany and forest ecophysiology
Aurelija Urbonavičiūtė
Organizational design and development strategist
Vilius Striužas
Lawyer, responsible for the legal issues of the Foundation's activities
Simonas Bastys
Programmer responsible for the technical decisions of the Foundation
You can contribute by gifting the land of your forest, contributing financially or educating your community about the importance of ancient woods.
Donate your forest
If you have a forest and don't know if it will fall into good hands, you can donate it to the Ancient Woods Foundation, which will ensure the preservation of it and the ecosystems that live within.
Contribute financially
All of the raised funds are used for the purchase of private, old forest plots, protecting them from felling and human activities. Everyone, regardless of their contribution efforts, will be able to visit and observe the spectacular life of ancient woods.
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