Hornbobrändan, Naturreservat

Hornbobrändan is located on the eastern shore of Lake Ågsjön, just over 6 miles northeast of Svärdsjö. Here, a rolling coniferous forest landscape stretches out, interspersed with wetlands, forests, and lakes.
Photo: Dalarna County Administrative Board

Blueberry forest and the sound of fire among marshes and ponds

Hornbobrändan consists mainly of an older pine forest that shows clear signs of forest fires. The ground is mostly covered with blueberries, with some lingonberries and heather.

In the Pisstrandfly wetland in the northern part of the area, dwarf birch, bog rosemary, and cottongrass grow. In the center of the area is a strip of small wetlands and swamp forests with a stream flowing down to Lake Ågsjön. In the southern part lies Knuts tjärn, a small round forest pond.

Fire has shaped the forest

Most of Hornbobrändan consists of a light, older pine forest. Repeated fires have created a pine forest with flat-topped old pines and younger trees mixed in. Here you’ll find trees with fire scars, as well as dead trees and stumps with charcoal remnants. Despite the presence of charcoal pits and stumps left after selective logging—a method where only trees above a certain diameter are cut—the area has a strikingly natural forest character.

Most of the forest is about 130 years old, but there are older trees that are up to 270 years old. In the damp, low-lying part, there is an area with large aspens and dead wood from aspens, birches, spruces, and pines.

Rare Plants and Animals

How about smelling a fragrant skin or feeling the texture of the corn knot moss? Or studying the gray-green, skin-like thallus of the lungwort? Yes, there are many exciting and unusual species to discover here. Species that are becoming increasingly rare in modern managed forests. Here they have found a sanctuary, and you can come here to discover them!

Visitor Information

To visit the reserve, drive south from Vintjärn toward Ågsjön. The reserve is located along the road. There is a parking lot with space for about 10 cars right at the entrance to the reserve. There is also a pull-off a little further south along the road. Here there is space for about 3 cars as well as a simple mooring spot for small boats.

There are reserve signs at both parking areas. No other facilities for visitors are available.

Photos in the slideshow: Uno Skog and Maria Blomkvist, Dalarna County Administrative Board