Selský les, Nature reserve in Herbortice, Czech Republic

Selský les is a 9-hectare isolated beech forest reserve in the Zábřežská vrchovina highlands, at 550–600 m above sea level. The stand is roughly 50% beech, 40% fir and 10% sycamore maple, with some trees up to 300 years old and good natural regeneration.

Selský les was declared a nature reserve by decree of the Ministry of Culture on 8 May 1954, under code 385, to protect an old beech stand with notable understory herbs. The forest had been shaped by long-term selective cutting, which preserved a near-natural species mix of beech, fir and maple.

The forest's name, Selský les ("Peasant Forest"), recalls its link to farmland holdings rather than noble estates. Its long use of selective felling, done to supply timber of the sizes a farm needed, kept a near-natural mix of beech, fir and maple. Visitors can still see fallen trunks left in place, which give the stand its old-growth look.

The reserve lies at 550–600 m above sea level in the Zábřežské vrchoviny, with average annual rainfall of about 700 mm, so the ground stays damp. It is a small isolated wood of 9 hectares, surrounded by open farmland that exposes its edges to wind and warmer microclimates. Approach from Herbortice and expect wet, uneven forest floor.

The forest has been managed by toulavá seč, a selective felling method that removed trees of the sizes farmers needed, and this kept a near-natural species mix. Beech makes up about 50 percent of the stand, fir 40 percent and sycamore maple 10 percent.