The Pernarava-Å aravai Forest () is a
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
in
KÄ—dainiai District Municipality
Kėdainiai () is one of the oldest List of cities in Lithuania, cities in Lithuania. It is located north of Lithuania's second largest city Kaunas on the banks of the Nevėžis River. Kėdainiai were first mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle ...
, central
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
, located west off
Josvainiai
Josvainiai is a small town in Kėdainiai district, central Lithuania. It is located on the Šušvė River 10 km southwest from Kėdainiai. The town comprises the Catholic All Saints Church, a gymnasium, a post office, a public library, a st ...
. Covering an area of ,
it consists of smaller forests: the Å aravai Forest, the Sviliai Forest, the Pernarava Forest, the Juodgiris. Most of the forest is drained by the
Šušvė
Šušvė () is a river in central Lithuania, a right (the longest) tributary of the Nevėžis river. It begins in Kelmė district municipality, 6 km (4 mi) southeast from Tytuvėnai. The 134.6 km (83.6 mi) long river passes through Tytuv ...
tributaries (the
Liedas
The Liedas (or ''Leda'') is a river of Kėdainiai district municipality, Kaunas County, central Lithuania. It flows for 17.7 kilometres and has a basin area of 31.5 km².
It starts nearby Pelutava village and later flows through the Pernara ...
, the
Vikšrupis
The Vikšrupis is a river of Kėdainiai district municipality, Kaunas County, central Lithuania. It flows for and has a basin area of . The river is a right tributary of the Šušvė.
It starts near Jakšiai village, then flows to the west thro ...
, the
Putnupys
The Putnupys is a river of KÄ—dainiai district municipality, Kaunas County, central Lithuania. It flows for and has a basin area of . It originates in the Pernarava-Å aravai Forest, 3 km from Skaistgiriai village. The Putnupys flows to the sout ...
) while the western part is drained by the
Aluona and its tributary the
Sakuona.
As of 2005, 50 % of the area was covered by
birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
, 20 % by
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...
, 8 % by
aspen
Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus.
Species
These species are called aspens:
* ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'')
* ''Populus da ...
, 8 % by
ash, 4 % by
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
, 9 % by
black alder, 1 % by
white alder tree groups.
The fauna of the forest consists of
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...
,
roe deer,
moose
The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
,
red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...
,
raccoon dog
''Nyctereutes'' (Greek: ''nyx, nykt-'' "night" + ''ereutēs'' "wanderer") is a genus of canid which includes only two extant species, both known as raccoon dogs: the common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides'') and the Japanese raccoon do ...
,
pine marten
The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red Lis ...
,
badger
Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...
,
hare
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...
,
squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...
,
beaver
Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...
,
muskrat
The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America.
The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...
, as well as
hazel grouses,
black stork
The black stork (''Ciconia nigra'') is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Measuring on average from beak tip to end of tail with a wingspan, t ...
s,
Eurasian woodcock
The Eurasian woodcock (''Scolopax rusticola'') is a medium-small wader, wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Palearctic realm, Eurasia. It has Camouflage#Cryptic coloration in nature, cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with ...
s,
lesser spotted eagle
The lesser spotted eagle (''Clanga pomarina'') is a large Eastern European bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The typical eagles are often united with the buteos, sea eagles, and other more heavy-set Ac ...
s and
northern goshawk The northern goshawk has been split into two species based on significant morphological and genetic differences:
* Eurasian goshawk
The Eurasian goshawk (; ''Astur gentilis'', formerly ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large bird of ...
s.
Part of the forest belongs to the
Pavikšrupys Botanical Zoological Sanctuary. There is a nature monument the
Å aravai Oak Tree in the Å aravai Forest.
There are
Pavikšrupys,
Sviliai,
Sviliukai,
Degimai,
RugÄ—nai,
Būdai,
Graužiai,
Skaistgiriai,
Å aravai,
Paaluonys,
Vincentava,
Kantrimas. villages inside the forest or on its edges.
Images
Saravu azuolas.jpg, The Å aravai Oak Tree
SviliaiForest2.JPG, The Sviliai Forest
SviliaiForest1.JPG, Wood in the Sviliai Forest
Aluona002.JPG, The Aluona river in the Å aravai Forest
References
Forests of Lithuania
KÄ—dainiai District Municipality
{{KaunasCounty-geo-stub