Perućica is the most known by its three protected forest reserves in the Republic of Srpska. Back in 1938, forest inventory specialists (forest taxators) during the compilation of the survey on Maglić mountain found out beautiful forest stands consisting of beech, fir and spruce, with the more than 1,000 m3 of timber per hectare and the height of individual trees was over 50 meters, located in the basin of Perućica river, in the depression between Maglić, Volujak and Sniježnica mountains. The forest stands of Perućica had no comparison in the Dinarides not only by the timber quantity and the height, but also by its composition, appearance and beauty. All of that was the reason for the Government of Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the existence of SFR Yugoslavia, to exclude the area of 1,234 hectares from the usual forest exploitation and maintenance and to declare it as “the forest item necessary for scientific research and education” in 1952, and in 1954 to increase the area for additional 200 hectares and put it under the state protection as the “natural reserve” of contemporary Yugoslavia.
The view from “Vidikovac” (Dragoš Sedlo) in Perućica and Skakavac waterfall, where water falls in the heart of primeval-forest from the height of more than 70 meters, fills every person with the satisfaction that this small part of nature with rich and multifuctional biodiversity, was preserved for current and future generations. Preservation and protection of Perućica in its original state is one of the main tasks of Sutjeska National Park. Everthing in the reserve is left to nature to take care of. Birth, life, dying and new birth, the everlasting cycle of life, happens without human intervention. New life flourishes on the remainings of trees that died naturally, . Perućica represents nowadays very rare natural laboratory with great importance for many scientific disciplines, for education as well as for simple enjoyement in pure and untouched nature.
Apart from forest stands consisting of beech, fir and spruce, the stands consisting of subalpine beech, alone or mixed with mountain maple, subalpine spruce and mugo pine or so called Pinetum mughi illyricum and the mountain grassland vegetation are also protected. True wealth of versatile flora can be found in Perućica as well as in other parts of the Park, including several endemic and rare species. There are more than 170 species of trees shrubs and over 1,000 species of herbaceous plants registered in Perućica. Research of the presence of species of moss and lichen is just started.
(Taken from Wikipedia http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr/Перућица)
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