Idom River and Ormstrup Heath

The area is located on the northern flank of Skovbjerg Bakkeø, where Idom River is one of a number of streams that drain the area to Storåen . Ormstrup Heath is part of a larger plantation area, Stråsø Plantage , which is owned and managed by the Danish Nature Agency. Together with other heath areas on Skovbjerg Bakkeø, Ormstrup Heath forms an open landscape where the hill island's landscape forms can be observed.

Idom River has a naturally winding course in the vast majority of its area, and contains beautiful examples of meandering curves. Most rivers in Denmark are canalized, and rivers with naturally winding courses are rare. The river valley is neither drained nor cultivated, and consists of meadow and bog areas with high natural value. Several erosion gorges are found along the Idom River valley. In some of these, smaller streams flow.

 

Ormstrup Heath is an open area that provides a good picture of the landscape on Skovbjerg Bakkeø. In the periglacial environment that characterized the area during the Weichselian Ice Age, the landscape was leveled by landslides and other periglacial processes. The area is also characterized by stream erosion, which has resulted in significant canyons.

 

The geological value of the area is that it contains open areas where the landscape forms, both of the hill island and the river valley, appear very clearly. The area is included in NGI 77 (Skovbjerg Bakkeø), and both the river valley and the heath are designated as Natura 2000 habitat areas. The entire area is also covered by a conservation area that is intended to ensure the landscape values and contribute to the areas functioning as a scientific reference area.