Štirovača is an

Old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...

in North Velebit. It is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

with abundant forest vegetation which covers the area of 118.5 acres. Majority of the forest extends to an altitude above 1100 meters above sea level and is composed mostly of

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

and

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

. The area was once more densely covered with forest, but today a small part of the towering forests remain in Štirovača. This type of the spruce forest ('' Aremonio-Piceetum'') is a relict boreal vegetation that existed in the

ice ages An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and Gre ...

, and which stretched far further to south than today's southern border. The land favors podzol soil, high elevation which is required for this type of trees in these latitudes (900 – 1100 m, and Štirovača is at 1100 m) and a relief position, so these forests occur in sinkholes, bays and gorges of Croatian highlands. This is because unique microclimate conditions are present, most notably the cold air is accumulated, and frost areas prevail throughout the year because of the appearance of temperature inversions, and thus the conditions are created for spruce to become more competitive when compared to other tree species.

History

It was the first national park in Croatia. That status was gained in 1928 in Paklenica. Legal protection was mentioned in the financial laws in 1929, when the Plitvice Lakes had also gained the same status. The current status was acquired on April 26, 1965.

Sources

* http://www.sumari.hr/sumlist/gootxt.asp?id=200313&s=107 Forest list * http://www.velebit.hr/lokacije.php * http://www.avia.croadria.com/nov/velebit.htm * http://www.np-sjeverni-velebit.hr {{DEFAULTSORT:Stirovaca Lika-Senj County Forests of Croatia Geography of Lika-Senj County