At the top of Pohorje, at the source of the Radoljna, Mislinja and Velka, lies a peat bog with 11 to 22 small lakes, depending on the extent and permanence of the standing water. This typical ridge bog, which formed 6,000 years ago, has developed from a mineral marsh into a raised bog with peat reaching down to a depth of 290 cm. Most of the 16-hectare peatland is covered with dwarf mountain pine and characteristic raised-bog species: bog rosemary, round-leaved sundew, various species of peat moss, alpine clubmoss and others. The Lovrenc bog is the largest in Slovenia and the southernmost bog in Europe on a silicate base. It is part of the Lovrenc Lakes forest reserve.
A special type of habitat found at the top of the ridge is formed by the Pohorje peat bogs. They lie at an altitude of 1,510 to 1,520 m and are the highest-lying bogs in southern Europe. Twenty small lakes, whose age has been estimated at 8,000 years, have been named the Lovrenc Lakes. The bog as a whole has no surface inflow and is fed exclusively by rainwater. The plants therefore depend on the nutrients of this nutrient-poor rainwater. The vegetation of raised bogs is adapted to such conditions and differs from the vegetation of the surrounding area. Peat moss, the principal plant of the bogs, has the remarkable ability to keep producing young shoots at the top while its lower parts gradually turn into peat. Peat and peat moss have a great capacity to retain water, which is particularly noticeable in dry periods. The Lovrenc Lakes forest reserve covers an area of 22 ha and forms part of the largest forest reserve in Slovenia, covering 522 ha, in the Pohorje area.
