Human impact

Wooded meadows served as sources of hay, wood, herbs, hazelnuts, mushrooms etc. Leaves and dead grass were the only fertilisers. In autumn, when hay had been mown, animals were grazed on wooded meadows. If animals are grazed on wooded meadows constantly from spring to autumn, the composition of herb layer will change, the density of shrub layer will grow etc. – these communities are called grazed pastures.

Wooded meadows have almost completely lost their economic importance nowadays – cultural grasslands support with hay, timber is made mainly from clear-cuttings. Wooded meadows that are not mown nor grazed overgrow quickly. Especially notable has been the disappearance of wooded meadows on Estonian islands.