Mariahout Bos en Ven

The Mariahoutse Bossen, also called Lieshoutse Bossen or Lieshoutse Heide, is an elongated Dutch forest area of 158 ha, located immediately to the north of Mariahout. The forest, which is owned by the municipality of Laarbeek, is a young heathland forest and consists mainly of plantations of Scots pine, although other tree species, such as beech, can also be found. In the south-west of the area is the Torreven (sometimes also called Torrenven or Torenven). This is an elongated fen that threatened to become silted up and was cleaned up in 1992. The area, which is surrounded by heathland remnants, is now managed in such a way that the edge of the forest is pushed back, which prevents land accretion because the wind has more room to play on the water surface. Parts of it are also being flattened and the area is being grazed by sheep. South of the Mariahoutse Bossen is the Heieindse Loop. The area connects to the Vresselse Bos in the west, to the woods of Olen and Mosbulten in the southwest, and to the woods of Lijnt and Het Geregt in the east. To the north of the area, there is an extensive agricultural reclamation. In the south-east, a small marshy area, the Rietven, connects to the Mariahoutse Bossen. Nowadays, this is an area of birches and oaks. Various walking routes have been marked out in this area.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)