Stora Vede, Naturreservat

The Stora Vede nature reserve is located near Visby in Follingboskogen. The area is a popular outdoor recreation area, and also contains high natural values in the form of forest, mire and alvar land.

The nature reserve, which is just over 200 hectares, is easily accessible in Follingboskogen a few kilometers east of Visby. You can reach the area from the parking lot at the VOK cabin, from where several exercise trails start. You can also follow the old embankment from Visby.

The area contains large areas of older coniferous forests, wetlands and open rocky areas. In the north, the nature reserve borders Ölbäck nature reserve and forms a coherent protection for Storvide myr, which is an agkärr. The marsh turns into a rich marsh where orchids thrive and then turns into rocky ground.

The area is home to several red-listed species, especially many endangered soil fungi that live in the older coniferous forest. The land has been forested for a long time and there is plenty of dead wood that is liked by woodpeckers and various beetles.

There is extensive outdoor recreation in the area, and Follingboskogen is important for associations and for many Gotlanders for regular exercise or as an excursion destination. One of the reasons for protecting the reserve is to ensure that it can continue to function as an actively used outdoor recreation area in the future.