In Northern Lapland one still can find pristine nature without human influence. Nature has had thousands of years’ time to develop the way it is here now. It all started after the latest ice age ended proximately 11 500 years ago.
Fossilised dune area
The region where we live now was first a dune area where wind was removing sand from place to place. Step by step bushes and trees started to take place and nowadays we have ancient, slow growing pine forests around us. So we are living in the middle of fossilised dune area where Scottish pine trees are growing really slowly, the oldest being much more than 500 years old. The oldest known pine tree in Inari region is about 780 years old.
Mires
As well mires around us started to form slowly and have developed a thick layer of peat during thousands of years. Today the mire ecosystems are full of life with representative plants and wildlife, especially birds.
Among mire plants and mosses we have many specialised species growing only on peatlands. Some of them like sphagnum mosses and sedges play an important role in peat accumulation. Some plants, like Sundews, have developed an interesting way of getting extra nitrogen in nutrient poor mire habitats; they are partly carnivorous by catching and digesting insects with their sticky leaves.
Forests
Our nature walks takes you through these forests. Now and then beautiful scenery of an open mire or a forest lake opens up. Forests are growing on a flat fossilised dune area so forest paths are easy to walk. On the branches of old pines grows dark lichen which can be hundreds of years old itself. Lichens are known as indicators of good air quality. The forests are home to elk, reindeer, Capercaillie, Siberian jay and Siberian tit and in addition to us. Please join us to our nature walk, and we will tell you more about the arctic nature around us.
