Grand-Leez wood

Site of great biological interest

In common with the Buis wood close by, the Grand-Leez's 110 hectares wood is the remaining large forest area in the western part of the Hesbaye region. Plans were afoot a few years ago to create a hippodrome here but the project was fortunately opposed by the local inhabitants, for whom the wood offers a much-appreciated and irreplaceable spot in which to enjoy a pleasant walk. The wood is a remnant of the ancient coal forest which covered most of Middle Belgium before the major clearing activities got underway in the prehistoric era. Traces are still apparent nowadays in the fields, in the form of dark patches, showing areas where charcoal used to be made. Situated on a heavy, moist soil that has apparently never been used for crops, this municipal property comprises Atlantic oak –hornbeam wood with woodland daffodils or bluebells (bluebells are not commonly seen here unlike in the Buis wood). The stand is generally subject to the storied coppice system. The fauna is varied but inconspicuous.
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