Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians
The ancient Carpathian beech woods were the second Polish nature site, after Białowieża Forest, to make it on the UNESCO list. They lie within the Bieszczady National Park.
The beech forests in the Bieszczady Mountains are part of a supraregional entry on the UNESCO list called the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, currently comprising as many as 94 parts (called components) in 18 countries.
In Poland, these forests lie in the most inaccessible corners of the national park: on the slopes of the Wetlina Mountain Pasture and Mount Smerek, in the Border Range and the Upper Solinka River Valley, in the valleys of the Terebowiec and Wołosatka streams. This is an area under strict protection, covering approx. 3,300 hectares. The ancient trees are a unique example of well-preserved beech forests in our climate zone, extremely valuable for scientists, but also an exceptionally beautiful area of ancient forest untouched by human hand.
