The Dainava Forest is the largest forest in Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

. Located in Dzūkija

Dzukija

Dzūkija or Dainava is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. Dzūkija is a cultural region defined by traditional lifestyles and dialects of the local Lithuanian population and has never been defined as a political or administrative unit...

 region in southern Lithuania, it covers the total area of 1450 km² (559.8 sq mi) of which 1145 km² (442.1 sq mi) is covered by trees. A large part of the forest is protected by the Dzūkija National Park

Dzukija National Park

Dzūkija National Park - a national park in Dzūkija, Lithuania, was established in 1991 in order to preserve the pine forests, the landscape, and the villages of the region. The area encompasses approximately 550 square kilometers on the banks of the Nemunas River.The park is the largest protected...

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The Dainava Forest mainly consists of pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

 trees. There are some birch

Birch

Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...

, spruce

Spruce

A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...

, black alder groves. Soils are sandy, light, densely covered by cup lichen. The forest is rich in edible mushrooms, billberies, cranberies

Cranberry

Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...

, cowberries. Collection of these mushrooms and berries are an important part of the local economy. The fauna includes many endangered species, such as Gray Wolf

Gray Wolf

The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...

, Wood Grouse, Black Grouse

Black Grouse

The Black Grouse or Blackgame is a large bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal...

, Hoopoe

Hoopoe

The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes...

, Eurasian Eagle-owl, Osprey

Osprey

The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...

, Mountain Hare

Mountain Hare

The Mountain Hare , also known as Blue Hare, Tundra Hare, Variable Hare, White Hare, Alpine Hare and Irish Hare, is a hare, which is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. It is distributed from Fennoscandia to eastern Siberia; in addition there are isolated populations in the Alps,...

, Stoat

Stoat

The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...

, Coronella austriaca, Great Capricorn Beetle, Lucanus cervus

Lucanus cervus

Lucanus cervus is the best-known species of stag beetle , and is sometimes referred to simply as the stag beetle. It lives in holes in old trees and dead trunks, in the forest as well as in groves. Forest management, in eliminating old trees and deadwood, eliminates at the same time the habitat and...

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Most rivers belong to the basin of Merkys River

Merkys River

The Merkys is a river in southern Lithuania and northern Belarus. It flows for through Belarus, along the Belarusian–Lithuanian border, and through Lithuania before joining the Neman River near Merkinė....

, including Ūla

ULA

ULA can refer to any of the following:* ULA TV, a Venezuelan regional television channel* Ulster Liberation Army, a fictional terrorist organization* Uncommitted Logic Array, a type of microchip* Underground Literary Alliance, a writer society...

, Katra

Kotra River

Kotra River is a long river in Belarus and Lithuania. The river is known due to a rare phenomenon of river bifurcation.At first Kotra and Ūla Rivers form one river, known as Pelesa River. Pelesa originates in Belarus and flows in northwestern direction...

, Grūda

Gruda

Grudë is a region within Malësia in southern Montenegro. Grudë lies just north of Lake Skadar and includes the small city of Tuzi, the major urban center of Malësia.-Religion:...

, Varėnė

Varėnė

Varėnė is a river of Alytus district municipality and Varėna district municipality, Alytus County, southern Lithuania. It flows for 48 kilometres and has a basin area of 411 km²....

, Skroblus. These rivers are characterized by their clear, cold water, and numerous tributaries. Also, there are some tiny thermocarstic lakes and bogs, including Čepkeliai Marsh

Cepkeliai Marsh

Čepkeliai marsh is the largest swamp in Lithuania, in the territory of Dzūkija National Park. Located south of Marcinkonys village, near the Lithuanian-Belarusian. The area of the swamp is protected as a natural reserve....

 – the largest bog

Bog

A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....

 in Lithuania.

Dainava Forest is the most sparsely populated region of Lithuania. Some of the villages were little affected by agricultural reforms and have preserved traditional folk architecture, which is now preserved as monuments. These villages include Marcinkonys

Marcinkonys

Marcinkonys is a village in Varėna district, Lithuania, located south-east of Merkinė. It is the administrative center of the Dzūkija National Park and Čepkeliai Marsh. According to the 2001 census, it had 765 residents. The settlement is known since 1637, when it was a camp of foresters...

, Zervynos

Zervynos

Zervynos is an ethnographic village in the Varėna district, Lithuania. It is situated within the territory of the Dzūkija National Park near the Ūla River. The Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway runs through this village. Zervynos has 48 homesteads; 8 homesteads and 32 separate buildings are...

, Latežeris, Lynežeris

Lynežeris

Lynežeris is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 34 people.-References:...

, Perloja, Musteika

Musteika

Musteika is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the village has a population of 95 people.-References:...

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