Borgberget, Naturreservat

High mountains and deep valleys - that's a rather sloppy way of describing Borgberget Nature Reserve. The area has several precipices that plunge down towards lakes Hällsjön, Isgölen and Lilla Flugen. The forest here is difficult to access and this has meant that the land is fairly unaffected by forestry. This has led to Borgberget being so rich in species and full of forest types that are unusual today.

Forest diversity is the key to natural values

Variation - that is one of the key words for the high natural values here. Sun-drenched rocky areas with crooked, late-growing oaks and pines on the tops of the mountains give way in different directions to wetter slopes and ravines with more mature forests with more different tree species, and finally end up in damp spruce forests and deciduous trees in the valley bottoms. In these valley bottoms there is a rich ground flora in many places. When trees are called late-successional, it means they are old but not very tall or coarse. They have grown on poor soil and may have been exposed to harsh winds that sometimes allow trees to creep across the rocky ground.

As the forests here have not been managed for a long time, there is plenty of dead wood in various forms; lying flames, standing dry branches and trees with dead branches or tops. All of this is very important for many mosses, lichens, fungi and insects that need this type of place to live.

History of the forest

Most of the land at Borgberget has been woodland for a long, continuous period of time, although Ankarsrum's ironworks and its activities are said to have characterized the area from the mid-17th century. In addition to the ironworks, other smaller businesses have also existed in the area, such as a nail smithy. The canal between Hällsjön and Isgölen was also used as a rafting route in the past. High up west of Hällsjön there is the remains of an old ancient castle.

Species richness

Some 50 so-called red-listed species have been found in the reserve. Some particularly vulnerable and threatened species whose presence indicates forest environments that are particularly worthy of protection are hedgehog mushroom, scabious, black bracken moth and mulmcracker. The flowering in spring is impressive in some places with species such as musk madder, eye pyrola, spring pea and wound lichen.

The reserve is located south of the community of Ankarsrum and via the Ankarsrum loop it is possible to walk through parts of the reserve. From the loop there is a path up to the top of Borgberget. Along this path there is a newly built shelter.