Štirovača is an Old-growth forest in North

Velebit Velebit (; it, Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the nor ...

. 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, or features of geological or ...

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, spruce and rowan. 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, and which stretched far further to south than today's southern border. The land favors

podzol In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous or boreal forests and also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia. In Western Europe, podzols develop on heathland, which is often a construct of ...

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 The Paklenica karst river canyon is a national park in Croatia. It is near Starigrad, northern Dalmatia, on the southern slopes of Velebit mountain, not far from Zadar. It contains two canyons, Mala (Small) and Velika (Big) Paklenica. Today the ...

. Legal protection was mentioned in the financial laws in 1929, when the

Plitvice Lakes Plitvice or Plitvička jezera can refer to: * Plitvice Lakes National Park, the largest and oldest national park in Croatia * Plitvička Jezera, a municipality of Lika-Senj County, Croatia See also * Plitvica (disambiguation) {{geodis ...

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 National parks of Croatia Forests of Croatia Geography of Lika-Senj County