Central Forest Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Tver Oblast, Russia

The Central Forest Nature Reserve is a zapovednik in the upper Mezha basin, Tver Oblast, on the Valdai Hills at 220–270 m. Spruce dominates 47% of the forest, with birches and aspens on windthrow and burn sites; the 1987 hurricane left large areas of fallen trees. About a fifth is sphagnum bog, including the nearly 3,000-hectare Katin Mokh.

The area received its official protection status in 1930 when Soviet authorities established it as a Zapovednik nature reserve. This early designation marked one of the first formal conservation efforts in the region during the early Soviet period.

The reserve protects part of the Okovsky Forest, which the Primary Chronicle names as the geographical centre of Rus. The name survives only in chronicles and maps; no marked trail or monument inside the zapovednik points to it, and entry is limited to permits from the reserve office in Nelidovo.

Visiting requires advance arrangements made directly with the reserve administration. Plan your visit beforehand since the site functions as a strictly protected research area without open-access sections for casual tourists.

The reserve protects one of Europe's last intact complexes of southern spruce taiga forest. This rare ecosystem hosts more than 240 bird species and harbors mammal populations that have largely disappeared from surrounding regions.