Essestorp, Naturreservat

Essestorp is a forest reserve with beech trees in an otherwise spruce-dominated area. On older deciduous trees and rough bark you can see unusual lichens that belong to the natural forest. The powdery mildew is the rarest. In Sweden, it has only been found in Skåne, Blekinge and Småland. Birds that are easy to see and hear are the skylark, wood pigeon and green warbler. The green warbler is difficult to see but is recognized by its song. It sounds like a coin spinning on a marble slab until it settles. Parking and paths are missing.

Beech forest reserve in northern Skåne

The Essestorp nature reserve is located just outside Hästveda in Hässleholm municipality. Here you are met by beech forest in a forest area that is otherwise dominated by spruce. The reserve also contains areas of spruce forest and clearings for spruce that will be converted to broadleaf forest.

Traces from the past are hidden in the forest

Stone walls that were built in property boundaries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries are found in several places in the reserve. In the central parts of Essestorp there is also an area of fossilized arable land. Some 50 low stone mounds, known as clearing cairns, bear witness to the hardships of farming in earlier times. The stones were once gathered together so that food could be produced on the land next to the stone piles.

Natural forest-like environments with powder puff

Essestorp consists almost entirely of forest. Almost half is being developed into natural forest. There are already many old trees with rough bark and the amount of dead wood is large. At the same time, a variation in tree species and age can be seen. Something that is typical of natural forests.

Hollow trees and rice nests indicate that there are both woodpeckers and birds of prey in the forest. Many different types of lichen grow on the trunks of beech trees, indicating high natural values. Examples of species are barnacle lichen, flat feather moss, maple lichen, rock fennel lichen and golden curl moss. The rare powder-puff lichen can also be seen on bare wood and bark of beech. It is an exclusive lichen known only from Skåne, Blekinge and Småland in Sweden. It is also red-listed in Poland and Germany.

Wood pigeon and wood crow are some of the birds of the forest

Birds that you often encounter in Essetorp's beech forests are the sparrowhawk, green warbler, wood pigeon, nuthatch and nutcracker. The parts that have or have had spruce will be converted to natural forest-like deciduous forest.

Outdoor life

Essestorp nature reserve is located 3 km northwest of Hästveda. The proximity to the community makes it easy to get here. On foot or by bike is preferable as there is no parking. A road divides the nature reserve into two parts. There are no hiking trails in the area but it is possible to roam freely.

Funded by the European Union