CARPATHIAN MOUNTAIN FLORA REPORT

by Richard Desborough

The mountain area in which we were working is covered in naturally regenerated forest dominated by conifers.  The forested area is at present worked commercially with a large amount of the felled softwood being sold overseas.  However from just a quick look at the buildings around Zarnesti, it is evident that a great deal of the timber is used in building work and also for fire wood, with large stacks of split logs outside most of the houses.  Much of the felling is done by hand using traditional crosscut handsaws and felling axe.  Ancient and battered tractors are used to extract the felled timber although another method used is a cable running from a large tree high up in the mountain down into the valley.  The tree trunks are attached to this overhead cable via a pulley wheel, then sent on their way to the valley bottom.

There are a number of species to be found within the forest:

Pines:    Austrian pine        Pinus nigra

            Arolla pine            Pinus cembra

            Macedonian pine    Pinus peuce                       

Firs:      Silver fir                Abies alba

Spruce:  Norway spruce       Picea abies 

Mixed with the conifers are a number of deciduous trees, the dominant species being the Beech (Fagus sylvaticus).  There are also a number of other tree species, their density depending on the location and altitude.  The wetter areas are home to Willows and tow species of Alder, Green Alder (Alnus vidris) and (Common) Alder (Alder glutinosa), as well as Hazel (Corylus avellana) and Silver birch (Betula pendula) which are present both at lower levels and higher up in the mountains.  Three species of Oak tree grow in the region, English oak (Quercus robur), Sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and Hungarian oak (Quercus frainetto).  The many other species of plant, fungi, mosses and lichens were hidden under the covering of snow.

These forested area are a haven for wildlife; the mixture of tree species provides and excellent habitat for both birds and animals.  The wild boar and deer feed on the fallen beech mast and acorns during the autumn and pinecones provide a food source for squirrels and mice as well as many species of birds.  Once they start to regenerate the clear felled areas are a source of food for the different species of deer and wild boar, which in turn are the prey animals of the wolf and the lynx.