Lapparetorpets naturreservat, Naturreservat

Lapparetorpet is a hilly forest area beautifully situated next to the western shore of Lake Furesjön. The northern half of the reserve is dominated by beech forests with elements of oak and other tree species, while the southern half is more coniferous. In the center of the area there are some clearings and planted spruce stands, which will eventually be converted to deciduous and mixed forests. The reserve is suitable to visit all year round. There are no landscaped paths in the reserve, but there is a dirt road that runs through the area and facilitates accessibility.

In the western parts of the reserve, there seems to have been forest continuity over the last 300 years and this is also where most of the old beech trees are found. Many species of mosses, lichens and fungi thrive in the old beech forests. The reserve is also of great value for nesting birds, including the red-listed woodpecker, the chipping crow, which pecks out its nests in the beech trunks. After the woodpecker abandons its nests, other bird species can take them over. The woodpecker therefore plays a key role in forest biodiversity.

The name is linked to the croft in the reserve

The name of the reserve is linked to the croft that existed in the center of the reserve during at least the 18th and 19th centuries. Older maps show that there was a "cabbage garden" and other cultivated land and meadows around the croft. North of the meadows runs a high stone fence whose function is said to have been to protect the meadows from the grazing animals that went on the outfields around it. During the dry period, the landscape was much more open than today, even in the outlying areas, as can be seen on maps from this period. In the eastern parts, for example, the land is referred to as 'heathland'. The presence of sparse old trees and thinning juniper bushes in today's forests also testify to a formerly more open landscape. The ruins of the croft still exist today, and there is also the ruin of a hut in the southern part of the reserve.

There are many stump sprout trees here

Another interesting cultural trace from the crofting period is the many bouquet-growing former stump shoot trees found in the western parts of the reserve. Stump sprouting is when younger trunks are allowed to grow from a stump, and then after a few years these trunks are cut to obtain smaller timber for domestic use and sometimes also leafy fodder for the animals. When stump grinding ceased, the trunks grew into their current bouquet shape.

The reserve can be visited all year round

The reserve is suitable for year-round visits. When the beech leaves burst in early May, the beech forests in the northern half of the reserve are bright green and pleasant to walk in. There are no paths in the reserve and the terrain is quite sloping in some places, but a dirt road runs through the area and facilitates access.