Forests of the Strzelin Hills – Natura 2000 area

These hills were overgrown by beautiful deciduous forest

The Strzelin Hills are situated approximately 40 km south of Wrocław. Their name comes from the town of Strzelin located at their northern end. Together with many other hills, they form the foothills of the Sudetes. Their natural environment is protected in the Natura 2000 system as PLH020074 unit. They stretch longitudinally between the towns of Strzelin and Ziębice. Their highest peaks Gromnik (393 m a.s.l.) Kalinka (389 m a.s.l.) and Nowoleska Kopa (371 m a.s.l.), are located on the northern part of the hills.

The crystalline substrate of most of the Strzelin Hills is formed by gneisses. In their northern part, there is an intrusion of younger granites, where many quarries have been built. In the vicinity of gneisses there are metamorphized sedimentary rocks: marble, calcium-silicate rocks, mica schists, amphibolites, quartzites and quartzite slates. Metamorphised conglomerates known as date rocks occur among quartzite slates in the Jegłowa-Krzywina area. In quartzite slates there are also veins of kaolin with beautiful specimens of rock crystal (clear crystal quartz) which were used since the Middle Ages for making jewels. The soils of the hills are mainly made up of weathered granite, gneiss and slates. In part, there are silty and loess soils, in depressions marshes and marshy soils. On the loess surfaces, erosion reveals post-glacial sand and gravel outliers. The forests of the upper parts of hills

often grow on shallow soils formed on solid rocks. Drainless water reservoirs were created in impermeable basins of former granite quarries, limestones or quartzite slates. Small streams flow from the hills to the catchment area of the Oława River on the western side and the Krynka River on the eastern side of the hills. Some of them, such as: Szaleniec, Pogródka, Jegłówka or Zuzanka, create deep ravines in the dust-loess cover. The Zuzanka stream near the village of Skalice creates a breakthrough in the sillimanite slate outcrop. In the stream valleys, ash and alder forests with a rich herbaceous undergrowth developed. Fragments of former sycamore forests can also be found in the valleys of periodic streams. The foresters' concern about water retention in the hills led to the creation of an artificial side water reservoir on the Zuzanka stream, before the gorge in silimanite slate outcrop. Observations of vegetation on hills after severe droughts prove that this type of activity should be continued and extended. The forests of the hills are largely made of deciduous trees, English oak, sessile oak and beech. Hornbeam dynamically recreates from self-seeding. Conifer forests are mainly composed of spruce, larch, pine, rarely Douglas fir, Weymouth pine or fir, and were put on by a man here. The natural forest of the hills is a beech forest, including that with the features of mountain beech forest. On the hills, often along the trails, one can find monumental specimens of oaks, beeches, larches, sycamores, spruces and pines. I wrote consciously that it was possible to meet until recently. My last trekkings in the hills brought very dismal impressions. In general, all tree species were felled. Of course, this applies to fertile trees, which I call monumental. Whole fragments of forests and also individual beautiful specimens were cut down, sometimes to the bedrock. Documentation of this activity of foresters in the Natura 2000 area is provided on the examples of the attached photos. If this is happening in Natura 2000 areas, in mountains or hills, where after tree felling water erosion is devastating, how can you consider the water-protective role of these forests and protect the lowlands from flooding?

This is my last album in a series on the fate of forests in the mountains, written for the attention of the Summit Post members and our shared concern. I am writing it on Christmas 2021 and I think about these forests as one thinks about an empty plate for a homeless person at that time. Will we leave something for our children and grandchildren? This is not my question, this question comes from the Green Planet ……….

It will be continued ……….