Hencida's Csere Forest NCA

 

The forest is situated on the northern part of the Körös Region, between Hencida and Gáborján. It lies along the banks of the River Berettyó. This area has proved to be a fairly lucky one. From the last century up to the 60s - 70s extensive transformations and thus changes (such as drainages, flood controls) took place here. Yet, most of these practices/actions turned out to be inefficient/unsuccessful therefore certain areas even managed to remain untouched. During the Ice Age (pleistocene and oholocene) the Berettyó-Körös region used to be an important sediment and watershed area with several rivers such as the river Tisza or Szamos depositing an almost 200-meter-thick sediment-layer of clay and sand. The basin-like formations unaffected by the siltation during the Ice Age gave home to one-time swamps extending over enormous areas. Even in the last century succeeding wetlands, smaller and bigger swamps, bogs and open water could be found on this area. Immense gallery forests, riverside willow groves and willowbogs dominated this area. Besides, natural levees and plateaux of yellow soil emerge from the basins thus providing areas proof against floods. Parts of these areas became covered by forest-steppes while on the drier sometimes damper parts Tartar maple loess oak woods appeared. As regards vegetation history it is the Körös Region that has preserved the most of the original vegetation of the rainy subatlantic phase. Floods often took place here even in the past century and provided unique plant associations with a special relationship to the those of the Transylvanian Meszes and Réz mountains.

The greatest value, the "Shrub Forest" ("Cserje Forest") first discovered by László Kovács (the one-time county recorder of Gáborján), later recorded by a botanist on the name of Imre Máthé was at least in parts preserved. The forest covering 111 hectares became preserved in 1990. 

2. Prospects for nature conservation, the characteristic features of the area

Owing to the transformations of the river Berettyó neither permanent standing waters (backwater) nor slowly running surface waters can be found now. Ox-bow lakes had silted up and then reed beds but more frequently large sedge communities occurred. In addition to the bulrushLesser Bulrush, Phalaroides arundinacea, the Float-grass, Bolboschoenus maritimus and the dominant reed the protected Tubular Water-dropwort was a species of great importance which unfortunately became extinct in the 80s. The former riverside willow scrubs were destroyed and instead, an indigenous cirsium species, the Cirsium brachycephalum grows. The majority of the soft-wooded willow-poplar groves shared the fortune of the willow scrubs as most of the White Willows and Crack Willows were cut down. Among reeds the tufted sedge tussocks are also at stake while mocsári selymék and Fox Sedge Tussocks are more frequent. Species favouring the wet microclimate are also frequent here like the Yellow Iris, rush species (Juncus sp.), a buttercup species (Rannunculus repens), the Marsh Woundwort, the Lythrum virgatum and the Inula britannica. The fox-tail Meadow Foxtail and the Agrostis stolonifera with its short stoles/rhizomes and the vegetative repoductive organs, the sarmentums are species characteristic of flood swards and occur in great numbers on flooded areas. Several plants with attractive flowers can be also found in these habitats for instance a water Dropwort species (Oenanthe silaifolia var. media), the Water Chickweed, the rare Fen Bedstraw (Gallium uliginosum), the Gipsywort and the protected light blue aster species (Aster sedifolius) which flowers in the ecotones in autumn. Among the unwooded associations the still existing alkali steppe oak woods, the so called alkali forest meadows form the basis of the saline flora. The most conspicuous of all is the protected Hog's Fennel, two aster species the above mentioned Aster sedifolius and the Aster linosyris, the Sagebrush Wormwood and the Hungarian Sea Lavender (Limonium gmellinii subsp. hungaricum). Due to the expanding glades the same herbaceous alkali plant associations can be found here as those of the pastures of the Bihar and Hortobágy. Such include for example the saline sedge beds or the Beckmannia saline meadows which are temorarily wet and are close to the flood swards. Sweetgrass beds and the Alopecurus saline meadows are also damp and besides the denominative species, the Poa pratensis, Wild Parsnips and Rorippa sylvestris subsp. keveri, sedges (like Carex distans), Cirsium canum with its ash blue shoots and red flowers, clover species (Trifolium spp.) and Common Comfrey the colours of which change individually are also abundant here. The acquatic insectivorous Greater Bladderworts and the Water Forget-me-nots are also strikingly beautiful among the tussocks. During late summer various mint species (Mentha sp.) or the endemic Pannonoan Sea Aster (Aster tripolium subsp. pannonicum) emerge from among other species. In the case of the Pannonic Puccinellia limosa hollows illuvation takes place in the upper layer of the soil which may be flooded occasionally in spring or in early summer. During these periods blossoming wild camomiles occur here in great numbers since Puccinellia limosa does not close.

Several halophytic plant species live here like the interesting Mousetail belonging to the famiy Rannunculacea or the protected endemic Transylvanian Plantain. Slight differences of level bring about great changes in the vegetation. X The most important of these is the yarrow grassy saline puszta. Besides its characteristic Achillea species, a fescue species the False Sheep's Fescue is of great importance. Together with the Annual Gypsophyla Annual Gypsophila, the Narrow-leaved Bird's-foot-trefoil, the Inula britannica, the Rannunculus pedatus are abundant here. On the thinner top-soil of the Alkaline puszta more endemic species are characteristic such as thePannonian Sea Aster, the Transylvanian Plantain and a clover species (Trifolium angulatum). Grazing together with the treading and the deprival of the organic materials help to maintain the saline puszta. The Camphorosma hollow is a saline association that is most likely to dry up. It is flooded only in spring and then it dries up and sodium carbonate will form on top of the soil. Only few plant species can grow here like a Camphorosma species (Camphorosma annua), the Sea Plantain or the Podospermum canum. Interestingly enough a great number of plants characteristic of slightly saline meadows and loess grasslands occur in the alkali steppe oak woods due to the high loess content of the soil and the degrees of sodification. Such species the Csere Forest are the protected orchid species the Green-winged Orchid, a Dropwort species the Filipendula vulgaris, a speedwell species the Spiked Speedwell, a saxifraga species the Saxifraga bulbifera and the Hungarian endemic carnation species the Hungarian Pink. Unfortunately the area of the forest has decreased by more than 50 per cent since the beginning of the 20th century. The remaining forest has also changed due to the sodification and the introduced non-native trees and shrubs. This is the reason why there are no homogeneous Tartar maple loess oak woods and oak-ash-elm forest groves. However only the changed forests maintain the most unique plant species that have transylvanian biogeographical relations therefore they contain species characteristic of middle-ranged mountains. The ecotones of the interior glades of the Csere Forest offer an unforgettable scene with its alkali oak woods which probably used to be loess oak woods. Here we can find several species that are rare on the Great Plain such as theBlack Peas, a pulmonaria species the Pulmonaria mollis, the Melampyrum nemorosum, the Genista tinctoria subsp. elata, the Wild Pansy, the Rampion Bellflower, a centaurea species the Centaurea indurata which has nearly become extinct and the Leafy Hawkweed. The Tartar maple loess oak wood with its thick shrub layer has shrivelled to a narrow strip and preserves the same species except for the few semi-scotophilic plants growing on loess. The most spectacular among these, the Hungarian Leopard's-bane can even grow in acacia groves. The largest stand of Doronicum hungaricum can be found here, in the Csere Forest. In addition, the remnant loess oak woods are abundant in Field Maples while the oak-ash-elm forestpatches we can even findIvy. In the latter association and in the shrublayer of the false acacia forest Locust-tree planted instead grows the beautiful cornflag species the Gladiolus and the more modest the (Melica picta). Unfortunately species like an arum species the Arum orientale, the Narrow-leawed Everlasting-pea and the Vicia narbonensis subsp. serratifolia were driven out from this habitat. Since 1987 the forest has been reinvestigated and the studies revealed that some new species of great value had appeared here. The nearest occurrence of the Lysimachia punctata is around Oradea (Nagyvárad) and the Kaszony Hill of the Bereg Plain. Another unique species that appeared here in large numbers is the Iris graminea subsp. pseudocyperus. The "migratory plant", the fireweed Rosebay Willowberry also occurs here each here in varying numbers. There are further two small shrubs that occurred on the scene. The northern Red Currant and the European Gooseberry were most likely brought here by birds. Due to the clear-cutting of the acacia forest in 1989-90 some native trees got cut down and weeds occurred and species like theTree of Heaven and the European Dewberry spread all over.

The vegetation attracts and gives home to a diverse wildlife. The most conspicuous of all are the daytime vertebrates. Among our rare and protected insects the scarce Stag Beetle and the Prionus coriarius are the most significant ones. Two of our protected butterflies, the Swallowtailand Scarce Swallowtail appears here occasionally.

Although the forest is poor in reptiles, we can catch sight of Grass Snake and European Pond Terrapin in the inner flood swards and along the Berettyó river. Among the amphibians the Agile Frog, whereas among the White-finned Gudgeon is worth mentioning.

The White Stork feeding on the ox-bow lakes and the surrounding meadows nests in great numbers in the neighbouring villages. The Grey Heron is more frequent than the Black Storkwhich occurs only rarely in the inner wet glades. The birds of prey worth mentioning in this area are the following: the Red-footed Falcon which does not and the Kestrel which occasionally nests here. The Common Buzzard, the Goshawk and the Sparrow Hawk come to this area only to hunt. Together with the Marsh Harrier, the Black Kite which is becoming more and more scarce nests in the neighbourhood. There are two birds the Turtle Dove and the Wood Pigeon that still nest in the contagious forests.

The Hoopoe nests in hollows whereas the colourful Kingfisher is most likely to nest along the banks of the Berettyó. The Green Woodpecker as well as the Greater Spotted Woodpecker are also nesting birds of the Csere Forest.

Among the mammals, the Leisler's Bat rests and breeds in cavities of ageing trees. Moreover, insectivores such as the Eastern Hedgehog, the Pygmy Shrew and the Common Shrew(Sorexaraneus) can be also found here. Among the rodents, the Striped Field Mouse is abundant together with the Common Redbacked Vole which is proved to be rare in the Great Plain. However protected it is, the numbers of the Otter have decreased because of the water pollution.

Hopefully, the Csere Forest has now reached the years of quiet and may have the opportunity to survive by means of active protection and preservation.

More information available in the CDROM „Natural values in the Észak-Alföld region”!