Djupa dalen, Naturreservat

In the Djupa dalen nature reserve you will encounter a distinctive valley with alternating old-growth forest and young forest on the valley sides. A stream at the bottom of the valley is home to the unique Djupa valley trout, and both woodpeckers and wood grouse such as wolverine and capercaillie thrive in the area.

The reserve offers high natural values linked to unaffected watercourses and the old forest with a long continuity of deciduous trees. The combination of water, a lot of dead wood and a high and even level of humidity creates the conditions for rich biodiversity.

Wet conditions

In the south-eastern part you will find bogs and swamp forests with trees that are 140 years old. The wetlands create a favorable microclimate for unusual cryptogams in particular. The Norwegian beak lichen grows on the cliffs of the valley, while the twig lichen prefers old trees.

Water lichen

It is worth the effort to get to the bottom of the valley. Here and there there are glimpses of small magical ponds and you may hear the babbling of Dypottsbäcken. The water in the stream comes from a bog pool with crystal clear spring water, which has been given the misleading and unflattering name Dypotten.

Bergslagsfisk

The brook is a spawning and nursery habitat for the Djupadal trout - a local strain of trout that makes its home in the Djupadal lakes downstream. Trout used to be a typical fish species for the nutrient-poor forest waters of Bergslagen, but were disappearing due to acidification and modern forestry. Today, the trout population in Djupadalen is both rich and unique, and a genetic resource when it comes to reintroducing the fish to similar waters.

Fires in abundance

The forest is part of Finnekroken, a vast forest area between Karlskoga and Grythyttan. The area has often been subject to fires; from the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century, the upper part of the reserve burned no less than 31 times! Traces of fire are found in many places and are mainly visible in the form of rough charred pine stumps.

Accessibility

Djupa dalen belongs to level 1 in the county administrative board's leveling of the county's nature reserves, which means that the reserve has a wilderness character and lacks outdoor recreation facilities.