jälgimisvea

Jälgimisvea, also known as fallowland, is a managed type of meadow landscape in Estonia, predominantly found in the country's northeastern regions. The term is derived from the Estonian language, with jälgimis meaning "following" or "thinning out," and vein meaning "meadow." Historically, these areas were created after the selective thinning out of mixed forests, typically of Scots pine and deciduous tree species, allowing a more open landscape structure to emerge.

The characteristic feature of jälgimisvea meadows is the presence of a varied grassland vegetation, consisting of a mix of meadow grasses, herbs, and shrubs. These areas typically lack the dense canopy of a typical forest, resulting in a veiled and thinned landscape. The openness of this environment creates suitable conditions for various species of birds, such as woodlarks, wood grouse, and European golden plover.

The driving force behind the development of jälgimisvea landscapes in Estonia was primarily related to medieval land use practices, specifically red grouse hunting. The mantling out of deciduous and coniferous trees created vegetation mosaics with diverse ecological patterns, beneficial for wood grouse habitats. Wood grouse was a valuable game species, and farmers actively maintained these environments for hunting purposes.

As Estonia transitioned into agricultural and other land-use practices, traditional jälgimisvea landscapes were largely abandoned. However, modern forest management techniques have led to the resurgence of this managed meadow landscape type, which has now become a suitable area for the natural regeneration of younger forest stands and thrives as a different, multifunctional landscape deposition landscape resource for rural back-yards and is specific characteristic from natural ground vegetation species.