On the 12th of October, twenty students attending Stredná odborná škola hotelových služieb a obchodu in the city of Zvolen and 2 teachers participated in an excursion to the Badínsky prales National Nature Reserve. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the Kremnické vrchy hills. Margita Kuklová, Ján Kukla, and Katarína Sládeková from the Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences accompanied students during the trip.

The primeval forest remnant „Badínsky prales“ has been protected since the year 1913. In that year, Badínsky prales was declared as a strict forest reserve in order to protect the original beech communities in the montane conditions of central Slovakia. Since that time, those forests have remained untouched by a man. The forest communities are dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). From the other broadleaved tree species also sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), wych elm (Ulmus glabra Huds.) and European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) occur. The forests in the core zone (30.03 ha) are protected on level 5 of 5 in the Slovak system of protection and the buffer zone in the reserve falls under level 4 (123.43 ha). Beech trees reach 47 m maximum height and 220 – 230 years maximum age. Silver fir trees reach 53.5 m maximum height and 400 years maximum age. Badínsky prales is also designated as NATURA 2000 site.

Not far from settlements, the young people had opportunity to admire an untouched environment of the primeval forest. Badínsky prales is only 6 kilometers far from the village Badín. Entering the forest road leading on the edge of the reserve, some students immediately responded to a cleaner air. As they said, they were breathing better. The aim of the event was to promote awareness-raising activities in the field of nature protection, and to young people to offer precious sites, which they have never visited before. Primeval forests are rare in central Europe. 18 years ago on the 1st of November, prince Charles visited the reserve. Badínsky prales is open to the public only during guided tours. The excursion was organised by the Institute of Forest Ecology SAS with support of the Slovak Society for Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Veterinary Sciences to the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava.

Text by Katarína Sládeková
Photos by Margita Kuklová