Skålen, Naturreservat

The Skålen nature reserve protects valuable coniferous forests that grow on nutrient-rich, calcareous soil. Limestone coniferous forests are one of our country's most protected environments. They are rich in species, and a number of unusual plants and soil fungi grow in the moist and nutrient-rich soils.

Fungal-rich soils

A hallmark of the limestone coniferous forest are all the unusual soil fungi. Several of them, such as the red-yellow trumpet mushroom, are good edible mushrooms, but there are also species that are not usually picked. These include rarities such as the sulphur mushroom, the narrow mushroom club and the gooseberry mushroom, as well as several unusual thorny mushrooms that are typical of this type of forest.

Plants that like lime

Thanks to the lime on the slopes, the forest is also rich in herbs. The orchids knotweed and soapwort are typical species here. The knapweed has evergreen leaves that are visible all year round. So does the leathery leaf rosette of the green pyrolia, which with a bit of luck you can spot in the soft moss carpet. In spring, wood anemone, woodruff and spring pea also flower.

Birds of the forest

The nature reserve is also home to some typical wildlife birds. Like one of our rarest woodpeckers - the three-toed woodpecker. Its peculiar pecking marks can be seen all around the trunk of the spruce. The reserve is also home to our largest fowl - the capercaillie.

Wood fungi and mosses

The reserve is also a haven for discerning wood fungi and mosses. The fallen tree trunks are home to the woolly tick, the flesh tick and the fire tick. Among the mosses there are rarities

such as green shield moss, dark house moss and wood stair moss. These species only thrive in old-growth forests with plenty of dead trees and decaying wood.