Epsilon Open Archive

Abstract

What is a grove? What does the concept lund denote? How has the real grove – the grove as phenomenon – appeared throughout the ages? Throughout history, the concept of grove has denoted a wooded place and unit with central importance in human life and imagination. The grove’s oldest documented significance is connected to religious use and religious imagery. It has as far back as has been possible to follow primarily denoted a wooded, alternatively wood encircled place. Relatively early it was also possible to see the connection between an emphasis on a brown soil vegetation system with noble broad-leaved trees and an associated specie rich fauna and flora, a so-called ‘grove flora’. That conceptual orientation may be noted in Carl von Linné’s writings, but was clarified in 19th and 20th century literature with a topographical, botanical, and ecological orientation. The dissertation further illuminates the last centuries’ extensively changing landscape by following the grove’s changes from a forest meadow-like phenomenon to a lush, complex, and often distinctly layered noble deciduous forest with a specific grove flora, characteristic for half shadow and shadow on primarily nourishment rich soil. One study examines the effect that common grove tree species, such as forest elm, ash, beech, hornbeam, and forest oak have on soil formation benefiting a proliferation of species. Yet another study raises the question of whether the placename element, *lund*, indicates lengthy continuous existence of trees/groves/ forests, and a thereto associated demanding grove fauna consisting of sensitive terrestrial molluscs. One of the conclusions drawn suggests that there may be good reason for those responsible for preserving and developing the cultural and recreational landscape to emphasize the grove as one of the most interesting concepts for the future. “Recreational experiential value,” “biological diversity,” and “cultural historical identity” are today some examples of ‘conceptual usefulness’ produced in our landscape that easily may be combined in a grove environment. It is therefore important to combine a biologically conscious vegetative base with aesthetic, social, and cultural historical values and goals, as well as to use a nuanced Swedish language describing the landscape that includes the concept lund.