Dansarbergs nature reserve

Dansarberg is a forest area of approximately 140 hectares located just over 4 kilometres south of Öregrund. The area stretches along a ridge running east-west and consists of older, multi-layered forest that has largely been affected by previous selective felling or thinning. Spruce and pine forest dominate with scattered stands of broadleaved trees, mainly birch and aspen. The selective felling and thinning have created uneven-aged sections of forest with small glades and light gaps. The area varies from nutrient-poor rocky ground to lime-rich hollows with rich herb flora. There are also lime-rich swamp forest sections with tree layers of spruce, birch and alder, with pine and ash more sparsely distributed. Large parts of the forest are old. In several stands there are spruces aged 150-200 years and pine trees exceeding 150-250 years old. The broadleaved trees are usually younger. Noble broadleaved trees, such as ash, maple and oak, as well as hazel occur sparsely throughout the area but nevertheless have great conservation value as several red-listed species have been found on these tree species. In patches there is a rich accumulation of coarser dead wood, including in the eastern part. In general, however, dead standing trees and windthrows have been continuously cleared, and much of the dead wood that exists occurs as small wood in swamp forest sections. The area also contains smaller patches of planted and unplanted young forest. Large parts of the forest were previously grazing forests and today you can find remains of old wooden fences scattered across the entire area. The forest area has thus been heavily cleared at some point in time, something that becomes clear when looking at historical orthophotos. Findings of red-listed species and very old spruces and pines suggest that there is long tree continuity in certain parts of the area. Source: Nature Conservation Register (Swedish Environmental Protection Agency) and OpenStreetMap.