Guardians of the Lug
Under protection since 1971
06Guardians of the Lug
Guardians of the Lug — under protection since 1971
Natural Monument · Šalinac, Smederevo
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44°41′24″ N 21°00′59″ E
Tree by tree
Every dotis one oak.
306
1971
pedunculate oaks and five narrow-leaved ash trees
In 1971 there were 306 pedunculate oaks and five narrow-leaved ash trees in the Lug; in 1984 — 302 oaks, and no ash left; in 2005 — 222 trees; in 2022 — 168 large oaks.
The first guardians
It was saved by the villagers.
In the Second World War the villagers of Šalinac and Kulič saved the Lug from a felling planned by the Germans. Almost thirty years later, again on their initiative, the Lug was placed under protection for the first time.
What threatens it
Quietly, slowly, over the years.
Land drainage, the Iron Gates dam and the pumping of water from the Šalinac springs have lowered the groundwater level. Grazing suppressed the young growth for decades. Heavy vehicles, bark stripping, gravel and rubbish gnaw at the forest from its edges.
Storms, lightning, snow and mistletoe finish the rest.
Renewal
Patiently.
A young oak grows slowly. First it sends its taproot deep into the ground — almost as deep as it grows above it — and only then does it branch out. Where there is no more grazing, seedlings sprout again from acorns.
- RemainsOld and dead trees — owls and woodpeckers nest in them.
- ForbiddenClear-felling, grazing and planting of non-native species.
- QuietFrom 15 March to 15 July, while the birds are nesting.
Beneath the bark
“Beneath the rough oak bark hides a very gentle and vulnerable nature, sensitive to indifference and oblivion.”
From the catalogue of the exhibition on Šalinački lug, 2009.
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Map and Surroundings
Where the Morava meets the Danube.
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