Getapulien, Naturreservat

In the nature reserve Getapulien you will find large pine forests and lonely bogs side by side. It is one of the few large roadless forest and bog areas in Örebro County, surrounded by older pine forests, Stormossen and Spelmossen.

Plants and butterflies that like bogs

The terrain is hilly in places with small boulder accumulations, rocky outcrops and a marsh landscape that smells of water hemlock. A very specialized flora grows on the nutrient-poor bogs. In addition to water primrose, there are cranberries, sedges and tufted sedge. The tufa flowers in early spring and is the grouse's favorite food. If you are here during the summer, keep an eye out for butterflies. Sulphur yellow hay butterfly, violet blue butterfly, sedge butterfly are all species that prefer to live in the forest edge of marshes. They all overwinter as caterpillars, pupate in the spring and then transform into fully formed butterflies in the summer.

Rare lichens and fungi

The forests in the western part of the reserve grow on barren rocky ground, while in the east it borders on a heath-like pine forest on sandy ground. In the 100-200-year-old forest there are a few 300-year-old old pines. The older trees are home to many rare lichens, fungi and mosses, such as the pine tick, wood tick, blue moss, grainy blue lichen and twig lichen. A variety of thorny fungi are also typical of the area. Keep an eye out among the trees for fire wounds. These are the wounds that form on stumps and tree trunks during forest fires. Before the 20th century, forest fires were much more common than today and the forest could burn several times a century.

Engine burn?

There is a rich bird life here in the nature reserve. If you come here on an early spring morning, you can witness the spectacular play of black grouse and capercaillie. Heath Pipit, Green Leg and Nightjar are some of the other birds that thrive here. The nightjar is very well camouflaged and is mainly recognized by its special song. It starts at dusk and the sound is similar to that of a moped in the distance. The great osprey is a powerful sight, measuring almost 2 meters between the wings.

Memories of the mining era

For several hundred years, mining and iron production were the main source of income for the local population. The Gammelbo ironworks had several smelters and hammers, such as the one in Nyhammar west of the reserve. Coal and wood from the forests were used in large quantities. Today, numerous coal bunkers in the area's forests are reminders of the old days of charcoal production in coal mines. The name Getapulien, originally Goat Apulia, first arose as a joking name for an area in Småland, whose lean and stony land was best suited for goats and was reminiscent of Italian Apulia. Sometime later, this poor marshland in Bergslagen was given the same name.

Restored wetlands

During the 20th century, many ditches were dug in the woodlands to grow more trees and provide wood for the forest industry. By plugging the ditches in the early 2020s, previously ditched land in the reserve was restored.

Internationally valuable Ramsar site

Sweden has designated Getapulien as a Ramsar site. The Ramsar Convention is an international agreement aimed at achieving conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Among other things, the countries that have signed the convention must designate the most valuable wetland and aquatic environments in the country as Ramsar sites and ensure their conservation.

Fire as nature conservation management

In the past, forest fires were a common occurrence in our forests, here and there in the reserve you will find traces of old pine trees after older forest fires. Fire is a necessity for a large number of plants and animals, which over the millennia have adapted to the habitat provided by fire. In order to benefit and preserve the area's fire-favoring species, the County Administrative Board carries out controlled conservation burns in the nature reserve.

More information about conservation burning

Current conservation burns

During April-August 2025, a conservation burn is planned in the southeastern part of the nature reserve at the small lakes Flukarna, one kilometer west of Valsjön. The burn area covers 31 hectares consisting mainly of sand pine forest on a fairly flat terrain.

Life2Taiga

During the years 2022-2028, parts of the area are included in a project with conservation burning in focus, Life2Taiga.