Destruction of the primeval forest of Bialowieza By: BSc. T. Koster, BSc. W. Langedijk, B. van der Linden and BSc. H. Smeenge. The Bialowieza forest On the border of Poland and Byelorussia the 8000-year-old forest of Bialowieza is located. The forest can be seen as an endless mosaic consisting of swamps, peat bog, and numerous brooks and rivers run through the forest with river dunes and valleys accompanying them. This is the habitat of Wolf, Lynx, Moose en European Bison to name a few rare species on top of the food chain. This is the last European jungle, this is the primeval forest of Bialowieza. Polish kings and Russian tsars Once Bialowieza was in the heart of an enormous forest. Protected for centuries by Polish kings and Russian Tsars to serve as private The location of the Bialowieza Forest. Source: Bialowieza National Park hunting grounds. Because of the strict rules concerning exploitation and colonisation by civilians, nature could maintain itself and species such as European bison could still be found here. When Poland s new frontiers were drawn after the Second World War, the forest was divided into two parts measuring 150.000 hectares in total. 62.500 hectares of which are located on the Polish side and 87.500 hectares on the Byelorussion side. In 1921 Bialowieza National Park was founded by whom 5.000 hectares of forest were declared Strict Nature Reserve. In here, hunting, motorised traffic and logging were completely prohibited. In these regions of the forest are still the most valuable, old and undisturbed stands located. In 1996 the Strict Nature Reserve was enlarged with another 5.000 hectares, now measuring 10.000 hectares (16% of the entire forest on Polish ground). The remaining 52.500 hectares (84% of the entire forest on Polish ground) is, besides some small reserves (3% of the entire forest on Polish ground), used for commercial exploitation. Up to last year this mend that, under strict conditions, the forest could be exploited for local use. Trees over 100 years old were excluded from commercial use and gaps (logging areas) were not allowed to be larger then 0.5 hectares. This extensive way of managing the forest only had a negligible effect on its further undisturbed condition. Preserving the forest structure by cutting down individual trees only, everything occurred in complete harmony with the natural dynamics of a forest. This causes a preservation of rare flora and fauna and primeval relicts. From protection toward destruction The Polish government had developed a policy in case of forest management in 1999 under the name The Contract for Bialowieza Forest. This plan was based on the possibilities for forest protection on one hand and on the other hand enhance of social-economical position of the local inhabitants. The essential of the plan is a differentiation in zones where strict protection of the highest nature values are present as well sustainable timber for local needs is possible. The plan also involved stimulation of social- economical circumstances by the development of eco-tourism. Implementation of the plan would lead to the extension of the National Park for the total forest. At the same time a Danish organisation DANCEE (Danish Cooperation for the Environment in Eastern Europe) developed an alternative plan for the future of the Bialowieza forest. This plan opts for sustainable forestry. This way of forestry is almost completely implemented in Western Europe to convert past homogeneous production forest into now a day multiple use forests. Nature qualities are a result of human actions in their opinion and are subordinate to economical interests. DANCEE sidelined the Polish government by support of the Polish forestry sector and the local authorities. The well accepted policy of the government was at once undermined and rejected. The current implementation of management forms from production-oriented forests is a threat to the unique nature qualities that are present in this forest area. The future of the Bialowieza forest is very uncertain at the moment.
The Danish COWI will execute this management plan, which prescribes a yearly removal of 150.000 m 3 up to the year 2011. It is absolutely inconceivable knowing that a yearly 40.000 m 3 is enough to meet local needs. The West-European vision In Western Europe sustainable forestry and multiple use forestry management are modern techniques that are well adapted to the West European situation. This situation aims to guide forestry development in such a way that all the demands society expect from a forest will be fulfilled (nature preservation, nature perception and timber subtraction). Especially in the last decades the expectations humans demands from a forest changes a lot and the forestry management followed. The human impact on the forest in this densely populated part of Europe was ever and everywhere intensive. It is in our blood to create nature and forests to our hands. Our history of using nature is the origin of this. In some parts of Eastern Europe the situation is completely different. Because of geographical isolation of large nature areas, in sparsely populated countries primeval relicts could survive. The Bialowieza forest is a good example to this. The impact of humanity on the forest in the last 8.000 years was limited and relatively constant. Local inhabitants are still living in harmony with the environment. The area is unique because of the fact that management never occurred on an intensive scale. This consciousness will not be penetrate in the mind of ecologists and institutes involving this field. During policy making, the local situation is not always take into account which lead to a miscalculation of special nature areas and wrong management tools. Overall the management tools are not bad for nature in its wide context. But structural removal of old growth and groups of trees leads directly to degradation of the forest structure and a loss in biodiversity in forests like Bialowieza. Due to the current West European forestry measures the primeval characteristic of the forest will be damaged in an irreversible way. Study trip In July 2003 the authors (recently graduated Bachelors of Science in Forest- and Naturemanagement) of this pressing letter have made a study tour to Bialowieza forest. It was found that especially old Spruce trees (Picea abies) were, many of them languishing or already dead, harvested. These trees are being looked upon as focuses of infection and therefore sources of harmful plagues of, in this case, Bark beetle. Western-like Wanted -signs is placed on numerous locations around Bialowieza. On these Danish (DANCEE) funded information-signs is explained how the beetles infect en destroy the forest. Unfortunately, the signs do not inform the reader that these plagues are natural and periodically returning events. Such events can never caused the claimed destruction of valuable forest in a small-scaled mosaic of forest-types as present in Bialowieza forest. In short it is a part of the natural process. A swamp (Alder bog forest), that because of the mosaic structure divides dryer spruce forests, forms a perfect barrier for these beetles. This all simply because the Alder bog forests do not provide the beetle (or its larva) with the proper conditions such as a source of food. Plagues will therefore limit to areas with a specific set of physical soil related conditions. Dead wood is essential for a well functioning cycle of life. The dead wood is the basis for all organisms in future forests. This cycle of building up and breaking down is a closed system that develops itself to a balanced situation in approximately 500 years In the strict nature reserve an average of 250 m 3 of dead wood is found. The complete volume of wood (dead and alive) is as much as 900 m 3. In an average forest in the Netherlands, on sylvicultural good soil, the complete volume of wood is approximately 250 m 3. By felling trees and removing biomass out of the system, valuable nutrition and chemical building blocks are taken away from the system (cycle). With this, the system is reduced and the cycle interrupted. The forests of the Netherlands must have been similar to those in Bialowieza today. Human influences/impact has greatly reduced the quantity and quality of nutrition in the Dutch soil today. This is why the extreme tree-heights of Bialowieza forest are hardly reached anywhere in the Netherlands. Bialowieza forest contains because of its unique characteristics an important reference nature management in the Netherlands. The recently introduced large-scaled logging activities (clear cuts) has, on many locations, disturbed the peace and destroyed the habitat for many breeding birds and resting animals. When the forest climate and naturally present complex forest structures start to disappear, the weather will influence the processes in a negative way. For example Spruce (a local boreal species) is
sensitive to wind, which will make it more vulnerable for diseases and plagues when exposed to more wind because of logging activities. Characteristic forest flora, strongly related to specific forest types, will level out, and partially disappear. When implementation of current management policy continues, local forest ecologists expect disapearance of the high ecological values of Bialowieza forest within the next few years. By investment in an adequate management plan which respects the uniqueness of the forest and also facilitate in a social-economical policy that offers the local inhabitants proper development possibilities, future generations will be able to experience the invaluable resource of Bialowieza forest!
Photomontage of the Bialowieza forest The forest of Bialowieza; a habitat for rare flora and fauna species. (Photo s H. Smeenge)
How sustainable is Sustainable forestry? The Bialowieza forest in July 2003. Trailers full of primeval logs are ripped out of the forest clearings on a daily basis (Photo s: H. Smeenge).