Hartjärn, Naturreservat

The reserve is located on the gentle southeastern slope of Kapplaberget, about half a mile south of Björbo. Surrounded by a few small areas of marshland, a dense, old pine and spruce forest spreads out here. In the middle of the reserve is an area with some truly massive pine trees—giants that have been around for a long time! Photo: Dalarna County Administrative Board

What makes this place special?

The western and northern parts of the reserve are the oldest, where abundant hanging lichens dangle from the trees and some trees are estimated to be 250 years old. The eastern and southeastern parts are not as old. There, the trees are about 100 years old.

Hartjärn became a reserve as early as 1967, but at that time it covered only a few hectares in the center of the current reserve. Here there are a number of truly massive and ancient pine trees. Since then, the reserve has been expanded in two phases and now covers approximately 42 hectares. According to the first two decisions, the reserve was to be left to develop naturally, meaning that the reserve would be left to its own devices without intervention. What was not considered at the time was that in previous centuries, this type of forest burned at regular intervals (on average every 40 years in this part of the country). In modern times, humans have established an effective fire department that extinguishes all forest fires, which has changed the appearance of the forests.

Prior to the latest expansion in 2018, it was noted that the old pine trees in the central parts were beginning to be damaged by the growing spruce, and the County Administrative Board decided that the eastern and central parts of the reserve should eventually be subject to controlled burning (see the management plan). However, since this is likely to take some time, the County Administrative Board has in recent years taken manual measures to prevent spruce from becoming too dense and disturbing the pine trees in the eastern part of the reserve. The western part of the reserve will mainly be left to develop freely.

In 2021, small spruce trees were cleared in the eastern part of the reserve. The County Administrative Board has also been removing individual larger trees that have been crowding the very largest pines in the central area. This is because the old pines are damaged by growing spruce trees that steal sunlight and nutrients. The County Administrative Board wants to care for the old, mighty pines so they can remain for many years to come. Place your hand against the rough bark and ponder what they might have experienced earlier in their long lives.

Interesting photo series from the reserve

Photographer Bengt Erkers in Björbo has photo series from the Hartjärn Reserve taken from largely fixed vantage points starting in 1976 and then every ten years up to the present. In some of the photos, you can get a glimpse of the dynamics of a natural forest. Bengt plans to continue photographing, but now at five-year intervals. In the rest hut near the reserve, there is a binder containing all the photos so that visitors can take the binder into the reserve and compare the images at the simple posts that Bengt set up at the photo locations. Some of the posts have fallen over, so it may be difficult to find all the photo locations.

Visitor Information

To visit the reserve, turn off Highway 66 at the road sign “Nature Reserve 4 km,” and then follow the signs to the nature reserve. Please note that during the spring thaw, the road is blocked by a barrier immediately after turning off Highway 66.

The reserve is located just north of the road, and there is a parking lot with space for about 5 cars, where you’ll find a reserve sign and picnic tables.

A hiking trail passes through the area, part of a large trail system connecting old mountain pasture trails in the municipality of Gagnef. The Gagnef branch of the Swedish Outdoor Association manages the trail system outside the reserve, while the section within the reserve is managed by the County Administrative Board.

About 100 meters from the parking lot is a charcoal burner’s hut, which is also managed by Friluftsfrämjandet Gagnef. The hut contains two bunks and a fireplace. It’s safest to bring your own firewood if you plan to build a fire. There may be firewood under the small roof at the back of the charcoal burner’s hut, but we cannot guarantee this.