Sjö

Sjö Nature Reserve is part of an ancient cultural landscape with early traces of human activity. The area has been protected since 1988, when Sjö was designated a nature conservation area. The reserve is located next to Lake Unnen, where you have the chance to spot several interesting bird species.

Atop a hill in the northern section are a few terrace-like, very small and narrow strips of cultivated land. Between these lie moss-covered stone piles, known as clearance cairns, densely scattered. These cairns are evidence that the land was once cleared of stones to make room for cultivation. The rest of the reserve consists of beech forest, oak forest, and mixed woodland. From Sjö, you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views in the region across Lake Unnen. Unnen is a so-called clearwater lake, about 25 metres deep.

Rich Birdlife

The landscape surrounding Lake Unnen provides excellent conditions for a rich variety of birds. Among others, you may find green woodpecker, lesser spotted woodpecker, hobby falcon, and numerous species of songbirds. From the lakeshore, you may also, with a bit of luck, spot species such as osprey, black-throated diver, grey heron, common tern, and red-breasted merganser.

An Ancient Cultural Landscape

The area around Lake Unnen has long been shaped by human presence, and various ancient remains have been discovered here. These include a cairn and a stone setting—graves intended for one or several individuals—probably dating from the Bronze Age or Early Iron Age. But exactly when the first farmers arrived in Sjö is unknown. The oldest traces of cultivation are found in an area now overgrown with old beech forest. Numerous clearance cairns remain, and traces of old fields can still be discerned beneath the beech leaves.

The Fields Were Abandoned

By the mid-19th century, these cultivated fields had been abandoned. This is known thanks to maps made during the land redistribution reform (laga skifte) carried out at that time. By then, a new and distinct cultural landscape had taken shape around the two farms in the area. Closest to the farms lay the infields, consisting of arable land and meadows. Outside these infields, livestock would graze in the surrounding forest during the summer months.

The last new fields were cleared in the late 19th or early 20th century. After World War II, most of the arable and meadowland gradually turned into deciduous forest. However, some parts continued to be grazed, and in those areas, the open landscape has been preserved to this day.

Flowering Fields

Sjö consists of the area that was once the old infields. The vegetation is therefore largely the result of centuries of cultivation, haymaking, and grazing. The remaining field strips that have not been overgrown with forest are now flower-rich meadows. Here you can find species such as cow parsley, buttercup, St John’s wort, germander speedwell, and field scabious. However, there is no distinct hay meadow flora, as traditional haymaking ended long ago. The orchid lesser butterfly-orchid (Platanthera bifolia), however, still grows here.

Between the fields, deciduous forest grows, including oak, aspen, birch, and hazel. The ground flora is rich with species such as lily of the valley, wood anemone, wood sorrel, chickweed wintergreen, and wood and meadow yellow-rattle.

Both Conservation Area and Nature Reserve

Sjö has been protected as a nature conservation area since 1988. In 2012, the protected area was expanded to include additional forest land. The wooded sections (25 hectares) are classified as nature reserve, while the cultivated landscape remains a nature conservation area. On the map included in the decision, you can see the boundaries of the original conservation area.

Camping Allowed in the Reserve, Not in the Conservation Area

In the section designated as a nature reserve (see decision map), camping is permitted under the right of public access. In the nature conservation area, however, camping is prohibited.