Lille Vildmose

Lille Vildmose translates as “Little Wild Bog”. It is a raised bog located approximately 25 km southeast of Aalborg. The area is part of the Natura 2000 network of protected sites and comprises Lille Vildmose, Tofte Skov and Høstemark Skov. Covering an area of 7,800 hectares, it was established as a protected area in 2007.

Lille Vildmose is the largest intact raised bog area within the northern European broadleaf forest zone. The bogs north of Toftesø and Lillesø, together with the restored areas north and east of the peat extraction sites, provide important breeding and resting habitats for numerous bird species, including Western Marsh Harrier, Montagu’s Harrier, Common Crane, Pheasant and Great Cormorant. In the southern part of the area, near the coast and just north of Øster Hurup, there is a birdwatching tower directly beside secondary road 541.

In 1998, a pair of Golden Eagles bred in Tofte Skov for the first time, and a second pair settled in Høstemark Skov. As only three pairs breed regularly in Denmark, their living conditions and breeding success are closely monitored by scientists.

Red deer also inhabit Lille Vildmose. On 23 June 2016, five young moose were initially released into the area, followed by another seven in the autumn. Today, more than 30 moose live in Lille Vildmose.

Besides attracting nature enthusiasts, the moose are intended to help control the spread of trees and shrubs. The animals originate from southern Sweden and are genetically very similar to the moose that once lived in Denmark before being driven to extinction there.

In 2019, four European bison—one bull, two cows and one calf—from the genetically pure lowland line were released into Lille Vildmose from a nature reserve south of Randers. The aim was to allow the herd to grow to around 15–20 animals. In March 2021, a further nine bison originating from the Netherlands were released into the area.

Beneath the layers of peat lie coastal deposits from the Littorina Sea, which covered the area around 7,000 years ago. Approximately 2,500 years ago, however, spits and beach ridges separated this part of the sea from the Kattegat, creating a brackish lagoon.

As the land continued to rise, the lagoon became completely cut off from the sea and developed into a shallow lake with dense reed vegetation. Woodland gradually developed along the higher shores, dominated by tree species that had colonised the area, including alder, birch, oak and pine. Over time, the vegetation changed as the climate became wetter. Reeds were increasingly replaced by peat mosses, bog cranberry and bogbean. Later, species such as common heather, cross-leaved heath, crowberry and hare’s-tail cottongrass also colonised the area.

Peat formation is thought to have begun around AD 500. Until the 18th century, the process was largely unaffected by human activity. Since then, drainage, peat extraction and the conversion of land for agriculture have continued to alter the landscape. The remaining areas of raised bog were eventually placed under protection towards the end of the 20th century. Nevertheless, peat is still extracted in parts of the area for use as horticultural peat. New peat formation now takes place only in the southern section of the raised bog.

During the Second World War, a dedicated peat railway was built to transport the extracted peat. It connected to a branch line near Gudumholm, which in turn linked to the Aalborg–Hadsund railway line.

Source: Wikipedia