Левашовский лес, Protected forest area in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Levashovsky Forest is a protected woodland area north of Saint Petersburg covering roughly 2,700 hectares of mixed forest, lakes, and wetlands. The landscape includes pines, spruces, aspens, and birches growing across terrain shaped by both water and sandy soils.
The forest received formal protected status in 2023, marking the end of a long effort to safeguard the area. Initial conservation proposals for this region emerged in 1987.
Research institutions from Saint Petersburg regularly conduct ecological studies in the forest, monitoring 128 bird species and 31 mammal species.
The forest is accessible through several entry points with marked trails and information signs about local wildlife and plants. Wear sturdy shoes as paths can be muddy and wet areas are common throughout the terrain.
Beneath the forest floor lie ancient clay deposits from the Littorina Sea, a prehistoric water body that covered this region long ago. These buried layers combined with overlying sand created numerous peat bogs with distinctive geological layers.
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