Meerdaal

Meerdaal, also known as Meerdaalwoud and Meerdaalbos, is a woodland lying east of Brussels and south of Leuven, on the loess plateau of Brabant in central Belgium.

[2] From 1406 until the end of the 18th century Meerdaal was endowed with the statute of Free Wood, which, for example, refers to its independent law court and rules.

[3] Numerous documents give evidence of pannage in Ducal Free Woods Like Meerdaal during the dark and cold months of the 16th, 17th and 18th century.

This pannage was obviously well-adjusted to forestry, as Meerdaal kept its age-long reputation for high-quality oak timber up to the present day.

Pigs were restricted to well-appointed areas and evidently kept out of young stands by swine herders, who also built wooden cages for the animals.