Lilla Örtjärnskogen, Naturreservat

The reserve was established to preserve and promote natural old coniferous forest.

The reserve consists mainly of old spruce forest. In patches there is plenty of dead wood, mainly spruce logs. In some places there are small gaps, where decaying logs lie in pick sticks. In the northernmost part, the area borders a rocky stream. The forest there is moist and rich in mosses. In the southern part, there is a leaner and sparser pine stand with old pines, some of which have well-developed armored bark. There are deciduous trees scattered throughout the area, but to a limited extent. Mainly birch, but also occasional aspen and rowan occur.

Animals and plants

The area has great botanical value as it is home to many endangered mosses, lichens and fungi that require natural forests with elements of old coarse deciduous trees and plenty of dead wood.

Several red-listed species have been found in the area, and several of these are fungi, including the ventriloquist's tick and the red-fingered mushroom. A total of 26 signal species (species that indicate high nature values) have been noted.

The reserve also has great zoological value due to the special conditions of the old-growth forest as a habitat for bird fauna and wood-living insects. These values are further emphasized by the diversity of woodpeckers in the area. The three-toed woodpecker is found in the area and has high demands on its environment and occurs in natural forest-like forests with high tree species variation and large elements of old deciduous trees.