Rävåsen, Naturreservat

Old humid pine-dominated natural forest.

The Kölan watercourse runs through the western part of the reserve. The nature reserve contains marshland and damp natural forest. The most common tree species is spruce. In some places you can find traces of forest fires; fire stumps and pine trees with fire-damaged trunks, known as fire sounds.

The nature reserve was established to preserve biodiversity and valuable natural environments. Rävåsen is now free to develop.

Animals and plants

The forest is home to rare mosses, lichens and fungi that grow on decaying wood, dying trees and rough bark. They are examples of important habitats in natural forests. The leafy Norwegian lichen Platismatia norvegica thrives on the trunks and branches of old spruce or birch. The lichen is dependent on high humidity and would die in a drier environment. In forests with forestry, the forest is sparser and therefore the air is drier. The area is home to the three-toed woodpecker Picoides tridactylus. It thrives in large contiguous old-growth forests. When looking for food, the woodpecker pecks clear rings around the tree trunks. The rings are quite easy to spot.

Devices

A cross-marked snowmobile trail crosses the reserve in a north-south direction. There are information signs where the snowmobile trail crosses the reserve boundary.