Natural treasures
The greatest natural treasure of our region have, for centuries, been forests. In the old days, the Beskid mountainsides were mainly overgrown with beech-fir forests, whereas spruces, so common these days, grew only in the highest mountain areas, such as the slopes of Barania Góra or Skrzyczne.
This began to change in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was then that the newcomers to the Silesian Beskid, tribes of Wallachian shepherds were felling the forest, thus gaining pasture land for their sheep. The development of metallurgy, including the establishment of the ironworks in Ustroń, resulted in large-scale tree felling since beech wood was a perfect raw material to produce charcoal. It was then that the large-scale planting of fast-growing spruces began. However, in the second half of the 20th century it became evident that this species of trees is characterised by very low resistance to diseases. That is why the process of recreating the original composition of trees is currently taking place in the Beskid forests.
The mountainsides of Barania Góra have been the home to the most beautiful and the healthiest specimens of spruce – the cones of these precious trees are the source of seeds collected by the Regional Gene Bank of the Istebna Spruce managed by the Forest Inspectorate of Wisła.
On the north-west mountainside of Barania Góra, at the altitude of 1000 m, you will also find the springs of White Little Vistula (Biała Wisełka) and the Black Little Vistula (Czarna Wisełka) which later become the longest Polish river – the Vistula.
The Beskid forests shelter a lot of species of animals. The bigger mammals that can be seen are numerous deer, wild boars and, less often, predators – foxes and wolves. Here are the hunting grounds of prey birds, such as the common buzzards, the Eurasian sparrowhawks or the goshawks; it is also possible to spot a species typically found in mountains areas, such as the water pipit, the ring ouzel or the nutcracker. The most inaccessible spots are inhabited by the wood grouse – the biggest and the rarest representative of the Galliformes order of birds found in Poland; this species remains under full protection. The representatives of reptiles which can be seen here are the viviparous lizard or the common European viper; on a wet day it is quite common to spot a colourful amphibian – the fire salamander. The research on fish species of the Upper Vistula Basin has shown the prevalence of more than ten species, including the brown trout, the presence of which, however, should to a large extent be attributed to fry stocking conducted since the end of the 19th century.
All those who love nature and would like to learn about the animal and plant species of the Silesian Beskid are recommended to take one of the six nature trails of the Silesian Beskid:
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The forest nature trail “Skalica” in the neighbourhood of the Regional Forest Centre for Environmental Education “Leśnik” in Ustroń Jaszowiec;
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The forest nature trail “Czantoria,” which runs from the top chair lift station towards the mountain hostels located below the summit of Czantoria;
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The forest nature trail Brenna Bukowa – Karkoszczonka, which runs from the bus stop in Brenna Bukowa (which marks the beginning of the yellow route) to the Karkoszczonka Pass along the river Brennica and its tributaries;
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The didactic nature trail on the mountain of Bucze, which begins in the centre of Górki Wielkie
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The didactic nature trail to the top of Barania Góra, which runs from the Voluntary Fire Brigade Station (OSP) in Wisła-Czarne to the top of Barania Góra along the river valley of White Little Vistula;
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The didactic nature trail Olza, which runs from the Centre for Environmental Education in Istebna-Dzielec to Prądowiec.
