Norrängenbeståndet, Naturreservat

The Norrängen nature reserve is a natural monument and consists mainly of a coarse and tall spruce forest, with elements of older pines, and occasional deciduous trees. Many of the trees are impressive in their uprightness. The largest pines have an average diameter of about 60 cm at breast height and the largest spruces about 50 cm. The oldest trees are around 200 years old.

Natural forest

Thanks to long, unbroken continuity, the forest has evolved towards a natural forest state, with a diverse tree layer, gaps in the canopy and dead wood in various stages of decay. The dead wood consists mainly of fallen trees, flames, but also of occasional dry trees. The forest has vegetation typical of coniferous forests, but in the eastern part there are elements of richer flora, in a small stream ravine, such as hazel, ostrich fern, eye pyrola, bladderwort, fern and coltsfoot.

Mast trees

The Norrängen stand is a so-called mast forest area. Due to the need for timber in the navy in the 17th and 18th centuries, in 1668 the Crown prohibited the felling of pines that could be suitable for ship masts. There were a number of specially designated areas with mast trees on the commons in the county. The ban on the commons remained in force until 1932. In the early 1930s, a government decision was made to protect certain mast forest areas as natural monuments. The Norrängen stand was therefore protected as a natural monument in 1934, by decision of the County Administrative Board. Under the 1964 Nature Conservation Act (now replaced by the Environmental Code), the Norrängen stand came to be regarded as a nature reserve.

Accessibility

Norrängenbeståndet belongs to level 1 in the County Administrative Board's leveling of the county's nature reserves, which means that the reserve lacks outdoor recreation facilities.