The protected forest area, Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh, is located in the
Trancarpathian region of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
and belongs to the
Carpathian Biosphere Reserve
Carpathian Biosphere Reserve ( uk, Карпатський біосферний заповідник) is a biosphere reserve that was established as a nature reserve in 1968 and became part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves of UNESCO in 1 ...
. It is the largest
primeval
Primeval may refer to:
* Primeval forest, an area of forest that has attained great age
* Primeval number, a positive integer satisfying certain conditions
* Primeval history, name given by biblical scholars to the first eleven chapters of the Bo ...
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
forest worldwide with an area of 8800 ha. Since 1920, some parts of this forest have been protected. In 1992, Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh primeval beech forest was designated as
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. Later, several other primeval and old-growth beech forests in Europe were included (in 2007 and 2011) in the UNESCO World Heritage Site
as well.
As a primeval beech forest, Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh is an important research hotspot.
In 2001, a 10 ha (200 x 500 m) research sample plot was installed in
Mala Uholka as part of a Swiss-Ukrainian research project, and in 2010 a full
statistical inventory of the primeval forest was carried out.
The next inventory is planned in 2019 to detect any changes.
Results of the 2010 forest inventory
The forest inventory took place on a forest area of 10 300 ha, 8800 ha of which are primeval forests. The rest is considered to be natural forest. During the fieldwork, 314 sample plots, each 500 m
2 in area, were surveyed. Within each plot, all trees with a
diameter at breast height (DBH) of 6 cm and more were measured. 97% of all the 6779 trees measured were
European beech (''Fagus sylvatica'' L.). The oldest beech trees were nearly 500 years. The largest tree was a
wych elm (''Ulmus glabra'' Huds.) with a DBH of 150 cm, whereas the largest beech tree had a DBH of 140 cm. 10 beech trees per hectare had a DBH of at least 80 cm. The number of living trees consisted of 435 trees per hectare with a
basal area
Basal area is the cross-sectional area of trees at breast height (1.3m or 4.5 ft above ground). It is a common way to describe stand density. In forest management, basal area usually refers to merchantable timber and is given on a per hectar ...
of 36.6 m
2/ha and volume of 582 m
3/ha. In addition, the volume of standing and lying deadwood was 163 m
3/ha. The vertical structure of this forest consisted of mainly three layers. Most gaps in the canopy cover were not larger than the crown of a canopy tree.
Ecotourism
Two ecological hiking trails have been created for visitors to the primeval beech forest of Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh:
Through the primeval beech forest of Mala Uholka (The Mala Uholka hiking trail) This trail guides visitors to
Druzhba (Engl. “Friendship”), the longest karst cave in the Ukrainian
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...
, and to
Karstovyi Mist (Engl. “Karst or Stone Bridge”), a limestone formation in the form of an arch.
Through the primeval beech forest of Velyka Uholka (The Velyka Uholka hiking trail) This trail guides visitors to
Molochnyi Kamin (Engl. “Milky Stone”), a karst cave where
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
people belonging to the bear-hunting culture used to live.
References
{{reflist
External links
Virgin Forests of Uholka. Nature Guide to the Largest Virgin Beech Forest of Europe. A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Urwälder im Zentrum Europas. Ein Naturführer durch das Karpaten-Biosphärenreservat in der Ukraine
Inventory of the Largest Primeval Beech Forest in Europe
World Heritage Sites in Ukraine
Biosphere reserves of Ukraine
Primeval Beech Forests in Europe
Natural heritage sites in Ukraine