Sonian Forest (Flemish Part)

General Description

The Sonian Forest covers 4,400 hectares of top-tier European nature and attracts millions of visitors each year. It is a vast and enchanting forest on the edge of Brussels, located across the territory of Belgium's three regions. This page refers only to the Flemish part of the forest.

Identification

The Sonian Forest is a remnant of the ancient Coal Forest, already mentioned in Julius Caesar’s war diaries. The Flemish part lies on the southern and southeastern outskirts of Brussels. It is part of a large, continuous woodland, crossed by several busy traffic routes, including the Brussels Ring, the E411 motorway, and Duboislaan.

Landscape Description

The Sonian Forest is a continuous woodland, best known for its ancient beech forests. Visitors will notice its hilly landscape, interspersed with open areas and the IJse valley with ponds. This green lung is marked by sudden transitions to infrastructure and built-up areas.

Who is active in the area

The area consists entirely of forest. The Agency for Nature and Forest (ANB) manages more than 90%, the rest is owned by private landowners. Due to the large-scale timber production, the agency organizes a public timber sale each year, eagerly attended by timber companies. The forest is highly attractive to walkers, cyclists, horse riders… Every year, millions of recreationists visit the forest.

Click here for more information about the The Sonian Forest

Click here to go to the Bioblitz page of this Natura 2000 area.

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Photo: Sonian Forest - Yves Adams (Vilda)