The forest 219a has a rich history. Until 1945 not any tree had been cut there. Then an exclusive group of hunters “ruled” over the forest and prevented it of being cut. Now it is planned that 30% of the trees would be cut. There has never been a cutting of such a scale there.
This forest falls under the Nature 2000 area “Bieszczady” and is directly adjacent to the Bieszczady National Park. Due to its unique degree of wilderness it could have been made a natural reserve by the Foundation for the Preservation of Natural Heritage. The average age of the trees there is 120-160 years. This forest is home to among others, the Ural Tawny owl and the white-backed woodpecker which are protected bird species. It also hosts 13 species of protected mosses, lichens and liverworts. Mountain forests have the capacity of storing water. They protect the whole country from droughts and floods.
The job of cutting tree is apparently not even profitable: the two local forest management companies have received more than ~30 million euros in the last 8 years because of deficit. 3 times more than the 23 national parks of Poland.
So on January the 3rd, activists moved in to block the access road. With two skypods, the Wolfens protect the forest on site, because petitions and blockades of the forest management company were not enough. Everyone is invited to join the protest.