Natura 2000 - Beskydy
Fir-beech forests
Fir-beech forests have always been the most common forest type in the Beskids. The European Beech prevails among trees, interspersed with the European Silver Fir and Sycamore Maple. A large number of plants thrive on the soil well supplied with nutrients, such as the Eurasian Baneberry, Euphorbia angulata, True-lover’s Knot, Sanicle or the medicinal herb Galium odoratum. These floriferous fir-beech forests are remarkable by Bittercress (Dentaria glandulosa and Dentaria enneaphyllos), flowering in the spring. Acidic fir-beech forests grow on less productive soils. Ferns prevail in them, such as the Broad Buckler Fern, Lady Fern, Scaly Male Fern, Common Male Fern and the tall grass Calamagrostis arundinacea; Common Bilberry shrubs also appear there. Rare subalpine beech woods can be found in the Beskids, for example in on Kněhyně or Smrk. We can recognize them by the occurrence of subalpine species, such as the sturdy Alpine Lady-fern, violet Alpine Blue-sow-thistle, white-flowering Large White Buttercup and Manchurian Monk's-hood (Aconitum variegatum) with flowers resembling a casque.