Sälsflottens Naturreservat

Sälsflotten is located on a plateau between the Västerdal River and the hill landscape to the south. The northern part of the bog is open and expansive, while further south there is a low-growing pine forest on the bog. South of Sälsflotten, the Birtjärnsberget nature reserve towers up as a clear landmark. The area is 530 ha in size and was established in 2016.

Sälsflotten is not really one bog but several - a tangle of many smaller bogs with or without pine trees. A large part of the wetland consists of marshes. The bogs are rich in lichen and often covered with heather, where many insects and especially butterflies thrive. The bog is also valuable for a variety of birds. Among other things, typical marsh birds such as curlew, ringed plover, green-winged teal and lapwing nest on Sälsflotten.

The forest in the area is both cultivated and more unaffected. On marsh islands, at Lissrummet and on the headland of Storrummet, a fine natural coniferous forest grows. The managed forest is included in the reserve as a protection zone for the benefit of the bog. About a third of Sälsflotten is wooded bog, sparsely covered with low pines.

Between Sälsflotten and the river, there is a strip of solid land, where the sheds Hjulbäcksbodarna and Borgbodarna are located. From Borgbodarna, cattle were previously led across the bog to Stor- and Lissrummet for grazing, and peat was collected for bedding.