"Save wetlands" Association  
 

Effects of active protection of the "Kalinowa Ł±ka" reserve

In November 2002 following the "Save Wetlands" Association's initiative Forest Cleaning Department carried out conservation work in the Kalinowa Ł±ka reserve, which included cutting down several dozen trees (birch, aspen, alder) shading the localities of rare photophilous meadow species and mowing selected places where valuable species occurred most abundantly.

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Inula salicina
phot. P. Pawlikowski
Taking these measures resulted in immediate changes in the flora visible already in the first growing season that came. The most precious is the regeneration of the Melampyrum cristatum site, which had not been recorded in the reserve since 1987. At present there are five flowering shoots. The plant shares the same patch of vegetation with Globe Flower Trollius europaeus, which has in turn extended its range to the so far shaded spots taken mainly by common nitrophilous species such as Nettle or Impatiens parviflora.
The species that responded best to the changes is Gladiolus imbricatus. Its biggest site, where only half of the plants flowered, now has 90% of blossoming individuals. Additionally, a few quite sizeable clusters, ca. 10 plants each, and a number of single plants flower near the forest boundary. These places used to be so shaded that germination and the flowering of overground parts of the plants were impossible.
Mowing part of the meadow has led to more abundant flowering and recolonisation by such meadow species as Superb Pink Dianthus superbus, Betonica officinalis, Inula salicina, and Serratula tinctoria.
At the same time the withdrawal of undesirable species has been observed. We expect that in the years to come the continuation of active protection will comprise the whole reserve, which will result in the restoration of wet meadow communities in its central part and the regeneration of historical sites of Marsh Gentian Gentiana pneumonanthe, Spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza maculata, Dactylorhiza incarnata and Crepis mollis, which have disappeared due to giving up the management of the meadow a long time ago. It is highly probable that the regeneration of their sites will only be possible after a few years of active conservation.

Paulina Dzierża



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