A large part of the forest is protected by the Dzūkija National Park and the Čepkeliai Nature Reserve.

Soils are sandy, light, densely covered by cup lichen.

The forest is rich in edible mushrooms, bilberries, cranberries, and cowberries.

The fauna includes many endangered species, such as the gray wolf, wood grouse, black grouse, hoopoe, Eurasian eagle-owl, osprey, mountain hare, stoat, Coronella austriaca, great capricorn beetle, and Lucanus cervus.

[3] These villages include Marcinkonys, Zervynos, Latežeris, Lynežeris, Dubininkas, Margionys, Musteika.