Managing traditional hay meadows in Gotland

Background

(Picture above: Fagning , preparing the meadow in spring at Hörsne prästänge, Gotland. Photo: Anders Lekander)

Gotland is today the Swedish landscape that is most characterized by woodland meadows: meadows with scattered trees and bushes.

The knowledge of the yearly care and managing (in Swedish: hävd) of the these meadows  has been passed on from generation to generation and includes a wide range of knowledge including the making and use of tools, knowledge concerning nature and the managing of meadows, social practices and oral traditions.

Good management of the meadows is important. Also in Gotland most of the winter fodder is produced on cultivated fields, but thanks to dedicated persons all around the island many meadows are still being maintained.

By meadow (in Swedish äng, Gotland dialect: änge) is meant a traditional hay meadow where winter fooder is collected by mowing. These meadows have their natural vegetation and no sowing, ploughing or use of syntetic fertilizer is being done.

These meadows can be dry or wet and more or less open, and this creates a mosaic of different habitats, important for biodiversity.

Grazing with the old breed of sheep from Gotland: götafår, after mowing at Benders strandänge (salt meadow) in Anga, Gotland. Photo: Anders Lekander.

Why safeguard?

“The meadow is the mother of the field”

Up to the mid-1800s and the great transformation in agriculture, the meadow was the most important agricultural area. The meadows gave winter fodder (grass and leaves) to the animals, which in turn fertilized the cultivated fields. Hence the expression:The meadow is the mother of the field. The areas of meadows was far more extensive than today.

The total area of meadows have declined radically, also in Gotland, but in Gotland the decline has more or less halted in the last 50 years and lies quite stable at around 3-350 hectare.

The need for safeguarding

During the last 50 years or so the awareness of the importance of the meadows of Gotland has grown. Already back in the early 1900s  the movements in nature conservation and the work of the Swedish Local Heritage Federation put focus on the natural and cultural value of the meadows. In 1944 the Local Heritage Foundation in Gotland founded a committee for meadows, Gotländska Ängskomitén, with the aim of encouraging and enhancing the tradition, with all its associated knowledge. The committee is still active, and provides support and encouragement. The committee does not have economic support to the activities, but gives out awards for the  good  managing  of meadows . Since the 1980s it is possible to get economic compensation for meadow management via the Swedish Board of Agriculture, Jordbruksverket. This is an important incentive for the continued managing.

How it is done

The yearly managing of the meadows starts as soon as the ground is dry in the spring:  with fagning: leaves and twigs are raked from the meadows to stimulate growth and to ease the later mowing .

Traditionally in Gotland the rake has a distinct design, the same with the scythe blade and scythe handle.

In the summer the meadows are mowed, traditionally with a scythe, now also more mechanized, but some meadows are still mowed by scythe. There are many traditions connected with this and the time of mowing (slåtter) is an important social happening.

Horse-drawn mowing at Vall prästänge, Gotland. Photo: Anders Lekander

The area is quite dry and the grass is dried flat on open and sunny ground, and raked together in small heaps (köislingar) if there is a risk of rain. There is no need for the drying of grass on wooden stacks (hässja) as in other districts.

After the gathering of the hay, the time has come for the pollarding of the deciduous trees in the meadows ( called klappning), to keep the right mixture of shade and sunlight in the meadows, and traditionally to give fodder for the farm animals

The meadows are often fenced in to keep grazing animals out. They can be let in for a few weeks after the hay and leaves are gathered. This late summer and autumn grazing contributes to the maintenance of the meadows. During the winter the meadows are also maintained by so called röjning, the necessary felling and control of trees and bushes. Traditionally the meadows was also fertilized lightly by spreading manure in the spring.

And thus, the yearly circle is ready to start all over again.

The traditional maintenance and safeguarding of these meadows creates and sustains a complex and rich ecosystem, with different plants, fungi, insects, birds and animals that depend on these habitats.

The rich flowering of the meadows between May and July is a sight to behold.

Thoughts for the future

Today the meadows are managed mostly by by non-profit organizations and private owners. The school use the managing of the meadows in the teaching. The meadows are also in use for different social gatherings and is often a pride of the local community.

The key to the future safeguarding of the tradition is the recruiting of new generations.