The first thing that strikes a visitor on seeing
the Bia³owie¿a Forest is the terrific size of the old trees. They
are twice as tall and twice as thick as those in other European
forests. How in this day and age, have the Bia³owie¿a trees managed
to reach these grandiose proportions? The reason is, that the
Bia³owie¿a Forest was reserved as a hunting ground for the Polish
kings, already in the XV century. The royal forest service, over
200 officials, were settled on the outskirts of the Forest to
protect it. Whereas the rest of Europe started turning wild primeval
forests into commercial enterprises 200 years ago. Large-scale
logging operations in Bia³owie¿a only began during the first World
War, under German occupation. Unfortunately, the situation has
been deteriorating drastically over the last 80 years. Exploitation
is rapidly transforming the Bia³owie¿a Forest into yet another
modem commercial forest.
Only here and there has Nature been preserved in
her original form. This last vestige of the Europe- an primeval
forest must be preserved at all costs. Once destroyed, the natural
forest can never be restored.
The Bia³owie¿a Forest covers an area of 1500 sq.
km, of which 40% is in Poland and the rest in Belarus. The Polish
part is home to 62 mammalian species, the most famous being the
European bison. Thanks to persistent efforts to save this species
from extinction, today there are about 260 individuals playing
their role as a natural factor of the forest environment. Bia³owie¿a
is the last European lowland forest where a complete food- chain
functions without human intervention. Wolves kill about 600 red
deer a year, with no danger to the survival of the total population.
The bird community counts 177 nesting species, among which 107
are specifically forest species. By comparison there are only
75 forest species in the whole of Great Britain.
Logging constitutes a mortal threat to several of
the Biatowic¿a bird species whose existence depends on the conservation
of very large surfaces of old-growths. One breeding pair of white-backed
woodpeckers require a territory of 1- 1,5 sq. km. Logging and
hunting have already led to the extinction of the capercaillie
in the Polish part of the Bia³owie¿a Forest.
As in other land ecosystems, insects play an enormous
role in the life of the Bia³owie¿a Forest. This group is estimated
at10,000 species. Among these arc species associated with very
old and thick trees, for instance, the ultra rare long-homed beetle
Stictoleptura varricornis. For some species this forest is the
only refuge in Europe and any changes in the character of the
forest caused by commercial forest management can lead to the
irreversible loss of many insects and other species. Nature reserves
and parks form only 2% of woodland in Po- land. The Polish part
of the Bia³owie¿a Forest is a mere 0.7% of all Polish forests.
Yet, logging is still carried out in over 80% of the Bia³owie¿a
Forest.
All official authorities of the Polish Nature Conservancy
and relevant parliamentary commissions urgently point to the need
to protect the whole area, and 300,000 letters of protest have
been sent by concerned citizens to the Polish government. Sadly,
these demands have been met with strong opposition on the part
of officials representing the logging lobby, who insist that Poland
cannot afford to give up timber production in the Bia³owie¿a Forest.
Although the Forestry Administration claim that they can reconcile
timber production with na- ture protection, the transformation
of Bia³owie¿a Forest over the past 20 to 30 years is irrefutable
proof that natural forests cannot provide profitable timber production.
The Bia³owie¿a Forest Protection Society, formed
in Poland in October 1995, wants to persuade the Polish government,
first, to decree an immediate ban on timber-cutting in all areas
of natural and semi-natural character in the Forest and to declare
the whole part of the Polish Bia³owie¿a Forest a National Park.
Such protection would make possible the continuation of natural
processes in the hitherto undisturbed portions of the Forest and
allow the undertaking of suitable action to initiate restorative
processes in the remainder.
However the Bia³owie¿a Forest is not the responsibility
of the Polish government alone. Negotiations on common policy
will obviously have to be undertaken with the Belarus government.
Not only that. One of these days Poland will enter the European
Union. When that happens, it will become clear to us that the
Bialowie¿a Forest belongs not only to Poland but to all of Europe.
It is up to us, Europeans, to take care of it. Let us preserve
this unique treasure for the good of our continent and indeed
for the good of our whole planet.
If, after reading the above manifesto, you are convinced
that the Bia³owie¿a Forest is a natural treasure of the world
and as such belongs to all peoples, please write a letter of protest
(the pattern included) to Mr A. Kwaœniewski, the President of
the Polish Republic or to Mr W. Cimoszewicz, the Prime Minister.
The Coalition for the Bia³owie¿a Forest Protection
The Coalition for the Bia³owie¿a Forest Protection
claims an:
TOPB co-ordinates the action of the Coalition for
the Bia³owie¿a Forest Protection, enrolling major ecological NGOs in Poland.
Although the Forestry Administration claim that they
can reconcile timber production with Nature protection, the transformation
of Bialowie¿a Forest over the past 20-30 years is irrefutable
proof that natural forests cannot provide profitable timber production
without having lost its naturalness.
To save Bia³owie¿a forest it is necessary to protect
the whole area in the best possible form. According to the Polish
law, the best form of nature protection is granted to areas declared
as national parks. All human activities within the national parks
have to be subordinated to the demands of nature conservation.
The national park covering the whole Polish part of Bialowie¿a
Forest will secure the continuation of natural processes ongoing
in all remnants of natural communities and will allow the undertaking
of suitable activities in order to initiate and accelerate restorative
processes in stands disturbed by man.
Poland - forests (in hectares)
| All Polish forests: | 8,586,000.00 (28 % of Poland's area) |
| Forest nature reserves and national parks: | 213,719.4 (28 % of forest area) |
| Strict forest reserves: | 53,011.00 (28 % of forest area) |
Bialowie¿a Forest area (in hectares)
| The whole Bialowie¿a Forest (BF): | 150,582.00 |
| Polish part of BF: | 63,219.00 (0.7% of Polish forest area) |
| Belarussian part: | 87,363.00 (since 1991 State NP) |
| Bialowie¿a National Park (BNP): | 10,501.95 (16.6% of the Polish part) |
| 20 nature reserves outside BNP: | 3,445.76 (5.4% of the Polish part) |
| 90 protection zones around the nests of raptors and black storks: | 1,130.40 (1.8% of the Polish part) |
| Area under different kinds of protection: | 15,078.11 (23.8% of the Polish part) |
| Area under strict protection in the Polish p: | ca. 48 km2 (7.6% of the Polish part) |
| Area under strict protection in the Belarussian part: | ca. 157 km2 (18% of the Belarussian part) |
Basic forest inventory data (1989-1991)
| ||
| Average age of treestands [yrs] | ||
| Timber stand volume [m3/ha] | ||
| Annual increment [m3/ha] |
Species richness of BF (Polish part only)
| number of species | |
| Vascular plants | ca. 1,000 |
| Bryophytes | 254 |
| Lichens | 334 |
| Fungi | ca.4,000 |
| Trees | 26 |
| Shrubs | 55 |
| Mammals | 62 (with ca.260 bison) |
| Birds | 228 |
| Reptiles | 7 |
| Amphibians | 12 |
| Insects | ca.10,000 |
| Types of natural communities | 25 |
| Types of forest communities | 16 |
According to the available data, stands of over 100 years-old, occupy 20-30% of the area of
the Polish part of the BF (sec the map).
Because there was no regular logging in the Forest before 1915, the remaining old-growths
should be recognised as natural or semi-natural (if moderately disturbed through selective
cuttings) portions of the BF.
Investigations carried out in BNP shows that in natural forests, the young phase occupy 20-
35%, optimal phase 35-45%, and terminal phase 20-30% of the natural
forest area.
In order to protect the exceptional character of Bia³owie¿a Forest, and restore natural
balance and dynamics of the whole Bia³owie¿a Forest, all the remaining oldgrowths should
be unconditionally preserved.