Ulleberg forest nature reserve

Nature reserve

Ullebergsskogen is a 60-hectare large old spruce forest area that was not logged in the 20th century. This is because the forest is a bit difficult to access due to all the boulders and being surrounded by streams and beautiful wetlands.

However, the storms Gudrun and Per hit the forest in the early 2000s. Hurricane winds knocked down many trees, and shortly thereafter the forest was invaded by bark beetles from the neighborhood. The small eight-toothed bark beetle killed many spruces. You can still see these spruces standing as gray skeletons inside the forest.

Here you can wander among fallen tree trunks, called logs, but also pass by standing stumps. The dead wood is important for, among other things, fungi, insects, and birds. Our smallest woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker, feeds on the beetle and butterfly larvae found beneath the bark.

But even the living forest offers a place to unusual plants. Old man's beard lichen occurs on spruces, and beard lichen and aspen moss grow on thick aspens. On the ground, green pyrola and the orchid knee root grow. Over logs and stones, the little twinflower winds its way. Its sweet twin flowers smell good.

Within the boundaries of the reserve, there are five ruinous cottages from the late 19th century. This is from a time when forests were cleared to feed the population. From the north, there are Österbäck, Öna, Bergdalen, Månen, and at the southernmost point, the cottage Strängen.