Bátorliget Fényi Forest NCA
Before human impacts this area was dominated by forests similar to the forests of Bátorliget Moor. The most beautiful representative of these former large wooded areas remained in the form of the Fényi-forest. The central part of the forest covering 285 hectars has been protected since 1954, while nowadays the extension of the Nature Protected Area is 297,7 ha.
The forest is located only 1 km south-east to the settlement of Bátorliget, close to the Hungarian-Romanian border. Previously it was continuous with the swamp until the village wedging them. The forest developed owing to similar factors which affected the moor. Sand accumulated in ancient, abandoned riverbeds, creating a diverse surface consisting of chains of dry dunes and wet depressions. This is why development of forest types are driven mainly by hydrological conditions, resulting in a mosaic-like landscape.
3. Fényi-forest Nature Conservation Area
3.1. Past and present status of the area
Before human impacts this area was dominated by forests similar to the forests of Bátorliget Moor. The most beautiful representative of these former large wooded areas remained in the form of the Fényi-forest. The central part of the forest covering 285 hectars has been protected since 1954, while nowadays the extension of the Nature Protected Area is 297,7 ha.
The forest is located only 1 km south-east to the settlement of Bátorliget, close to the Hungarian-Romanian border. Previously it was continuous with the swamp until the village wedging them. The forest developed owing to similar factors which affected the moor. Sand accumulated in ancient, abandoned riverbeds, creating a diverse surface consisting of chains of dry dunes and wet depressions. This is why development of forest types are driven mainly by hydrological conditions, resulting in a mosaic-like landscape.
3.2. The characteristics and conservation designation of the area
In the depressions still large, natural-like associations of oak-ash-elm groves (Fraxino pannonici-Ulmetum) exist, with some open water in early spring. The dominant species here include Pedunculate Oak which is a characteristic species of the Great Plain, and the Hungarian Narrow-leaved Ash. Besides, the Fluttery Elm and Smooth-leaved Elm, interspersed with White Poplar, Bird Cherry and other tree species. The shrub-level is usually dense, where the most common species are the Red Dogwood, Guelder Rose andAlder Buckthorn. In the ground-level (mainly at patches with no permanent water) species characteristic to the fresh mountainous forests can be met, such as e.g. Ground-elder, Martagon Lily, Coralroot Bittercress, Baneberry (Actea spicata), Sanicle, Herb-Paris the May Lily, Common Twayblade, a member of of the Squills. The ornament of the forest is the Meadow Saffron flowering after summer.
With rising elevation, hard-wood forests gradually turn into oak forests with Lily-of-the-valley (Concvallario-Quercetum roboris), mixed with Hornbeam in some patches. This community is also dominated by Pedunculate Oak. Other tree species interspersing with it include Silver Birch, Field Maple, Small-leaved Lime, or the Silver Linden, which is a biogeographical curiosity in the Nyírség.
The shrub-level of the forest (except the Hornbeam patches) is rather dense, with several species. The most common is the Common Hawthorn. The grass-level is also very rich: fresh sites are occupied by many Lily of the Valley grow, elsewhere Sweet Woodruff or False Brome are characteristic. At the edge of forest one can find Military Orchid, Broad-leaved Helleborines and Red Helleborine (Cephalantera rubra).
Unfortunately, sandy oakforests once characteristic to the dry dune tops are now becoming extinct with only very few of them left by now. On the eastern part of Fényi Forest -near to the border - there are still some witnesses of this wooded steppe vegetation. The sparse sandy oak-forests grow inseparably to the mosaic-like sandy grasslands. On the grass-level several elements of the wooded steppe vegetation can be found, such as the Wall Germander, one of the Masterworts, Swallow-wort, or Bloody Crane's-Bill. In the Nyírség this is the natural habitat of the strictly protected Hungarian Stool Iris.
Unfortunately, the Locust-tree introduced from North-America is also spreading in Nyírség. It has mainly invaded the drier oak-forest, resulting in poorer undergrowth, allowing weeds to grow and removes original species. The prevention of its spreading is an important task of the conservation management.
Parts of Fényi Forest some parts planted with acacia and some other invading species (like Populus and Pinus), where the changing of these species with native species are in progress. This work, however, is very time consuming and needs lots of material and intellectual effort, but for preserving the forest these are necessary efforts.
The other parts of the forest - the deepest, constantly wet, swampy patches are also very valuable. On the northern, north-western part of the protected area there are a few swamps, where in the wet period the open water surface is surrounded by tall-sedges and gorsy willow, spiced with Marsh Fern. Here lives the rare Kiev Nettle, creeper nettle with other name referring to its special feature that the stem is creeping on the ground often towards the water. In the 05-1 m deep water the marsh weeds and Water-violets flower.
Near to the Károlyi-brook on the north-east part of the forest remains of a former swampy forest with Birch tree, mosaics of swampy forest with willow, sedges and fresh grasslands can be seen.
The fresh grasslands, the former hayfields are getting forested, and forcing the plant species, for example the already mentioned Meadow Angelica, Siberian Iris, White False Helleborine, Globeflower, and Gladiolus under the foliage-level.
This relatively large and undisturbed, diverse forest also has a rich fauna. Several species of invertebrates are the same as in the Bátorliget Swamp. Lots of insects need the diversity of habitats and mosaics of plant communities found here for their survival.
Among the amphibia the Agile Frog is more rare, than the European Tree Frog. Among the reptile the Viviparous Lizard and the Green Lizard should be mentioned.
The forest provides especially good habitat for birds, that is why one can enjoy several species of songbirds and their voices. In the undisturbed thick of the forest, on high trees nests every year the Black Stork, and for example the Honey Buzzard among the birds of prey. The number of Ravens are getting increasing in this region as well, presumable with the help of conservation, and it can be seen and hear in the Fényi forest.
The Wildcat is one of the curiosities among the mammals, while the Red Fox and Eurasian Badgerare more common. The Wild Boar is also common, which may cause serious damages with digging if overpopulate.
Fényi forest is one of the most valuable remains of the former forests of the Great Plain, that is why it is planned to establish one of our forest-reserve here. Previously it was called Körmei forest, but the border has cut the forest into two parts. However, it still continues over the border forming a biological unit.
The most important tasks of nature conservation are to declare the protection of valuable but not protected areas, to retain the necessary water, to change the planted forests into native ones, to prevent the invasion of adventive species.
However, Fényi forest is the largest and most valuable natural forest of the region (thank to the early conservation work as well), but there are some other precious forest residue.
Such forest is the Big-forest of Ömböly, which is the continuation from south-west of the previous one. In the remains of its sandy oak-forest lives the biggest population of the Hungarian Stool Iris in a natural habitat. Cowslip, Columbine Meadow Rue, Bird's Nest Orchid, Martagon Lily,Broad-leaved Helleborine and Gladiolus can also found here. Similar oak-forest parts are also south to Ömböly in the Csere-forest.
East to Bátorliget, in the Bódvaj forest which stretches along the border, at the bottom of the sandy oakforests grown on dunes, large and valuable hard-wood grove can be found. Besides the species characteristic in groves, the rare Pyramidal Orchid population has to be mentioned. On one of the oldest trees Black Stork nests.
At the bank of Bódvaj brook, east to Terem settlement lies the Nagyfenék forest, where there is a natural-like hard-wood grove. In this grove you can find a large population, at least the order of ten-thousand, of the rare Ramson, or populations of Gladiolus, Bird's Nest Orchid, Common Twayblade, Large White Helleborine (Cephalantera damasonium). Many Melittis carpathica, Sticky Catchfly, Viola mirabilis, Tuberous Comfrey, Summer Snowflake, Ground-elder, Bracken and the most beautiful Martagon Lily can be seen here. Most of them are curiosity of the Great Plain, since they are elements of mountain flora.
Not far from here, at the boundary of Mérkvállaj and Tiborszállás locates the old game preserve of the Kállay Earls. This small forest is natural based, but planted with additional tree species (e.g. Pinus). However, since its soil and microclimate it preserved several native species, like the Dryopteris filix-mas, the Narrow Buckler Fern, the Lady Fern, and the already mentionedMartagon Lily, Gladiolus, and Miracle Violet.
