Ruud Streefkerk

Mushroom Białowieża 5

Here in the border area of Poland and Belarus lies the huge forest of Białowieża, with a total area of 137,000 ha, of which 58,000 ha is located in Poland. This reserve is the largest and least affected primeval forest in the lowlands of Western and Central Europe. A good breeding ground for fungi such as this mushroom. The area has been a forest since the Ice Age, which is why the Poles call it Puszca (jungle). For centuries, the forest was owned by the Polish kings who used it as a hunting ground (a.o. on the Wisent). As a result, the forest was protected against clear-cutting. Although for example in World War I, the Germans cut huge amounts of timber from it. A part of almost 5,000 ha of the forest-reserve received the status of National Park in 1932, which was extended to more than 10,000 ha in 1996. The Belarusian part is also a National Park, but the protection is less clearly regulated than in the Polish part.