Slada

Do you want to go to the sea? Or maybe wander through herb-rich ancient forests? Or do you long to sit by a small pond and watch frogs and leeches? Or maybe you want to put on your boots and explore some of the county's finest marshes? In the Slada nature reserve there are opportunities to experience all this! In the Slada nature reserve you can have many nature experiences. However, you will have to discover them on your own as there are no landscaped paths yet.

The landscape in Slada is flat. The shallow marine environments are important breeding grounds for many fish but also for bird life. Because the landscape is so flat, land uplift is very evident here. You can actually follow land uplift by looking at the vegetation zones. As the land rises from the sea, different plants become established. Closest to the sea are rocky shores with beach vegetation. The sea washes the beaches, which makes it difficult for shrubs and trees to take hold. After some time on land, the water does not reach all the way and the bushes can establish themselves. Here in Slada, sea buckthorn is a prominent shrub with its tasty orange berries. When more time has passed since the land emerged from the sea, deciduous trees such as birch and alder have managed to grow in the shelter of the bushes. Gradually, the conifers gain a foothold and eventually take over the dominance of the forest through their shady branches, which the deciduous trees find difficult to compete with. It's a slow process, but it's going on all the time in Slada as new parts emerge from the sea.

Another thing that affects nature in Slada is the lime-rich soil. The limestone originates from the limestone-rich bedrock in Gävle Bay and was spread to northern Uppland with the ice sheet. The limestone gives us a rich flora. The reserve's coniferous forests are known as limestone coniferous forests and these are home to many unusual soil fungi. Thanks to the lime-rich soil!

Here in Slada there are large wetlands. These wetlands are called rich marshes thanks to the calcareous environment. A rich marsh is poor in nutrients but rich in minerals, especially calcium. This creates a special environment that not all species can handle. But those that do have a competitive advantage. There are unusual mosses, orchids, and tiny, tiny sweet shells.

Adjacent to the wetlands are small lakes or pools: Hällefjärd is one such pool. They are shallow and warm up quickly in spring. This is appreciated by heat-loving aquatic animals such as the pond frog, dragonflies and leeches. The göl frog is only found in the göls of northern Uppland in the whole of Sweden.

Manager: County Administrative Board