Šalinac Grove

Šalinac Grove is a protected area in Serbia which contains the last remnant of the oak-and-ash forests which until several hundred years ago covered the flooded areas in the valleys of the Velika Morava and the Danube. It is a real rarity not only in Serbia but in the wider area of the Balkan peninsula.It is situated 10km east of Smederevo, on the vast plain of the Godomin Field; the plain itself came to exist as a result of floods of the river Velika Morava in the area where it flows into the Danube. The grove is surrounded by the settlements of Salinac and Kulic, and also - in a wide bend - by a former meander of the Velika Morava which is now an oxbow lake.It contains a tall, homogeneous stand of trees which are almost the same age, including about 200 centennial marsh oak trees, once accompanied by field ash trees . The protected area covers 19ha.The grove's age is estimated at 200–300 years. The average size of the oak trees is: