Izvoarele Nerei Nature Reserve

Izvoarele Nerei Nature Reserve, part of the UNESCO site: The "Izvoarele Nerei" nature reserve, which covers 5028 ha, is one of the largest virgin forests in Europe. This forest, as a nature reserve, has a restrictive protection status according to Romanian legislation. The reserve was established in 1973 by forest management planning, first as a "forest reserve", and in 2000 it became a "natural reserve". Representative are the virgin ecosystems of pure beech trees, where only a few specimens of other tree species can be found. The trees impress with very high volumes (600-1200 mc/ha) and the base surface (52-54 sq/ha), as well as the presence of impressive trees, with diameters over 1.3m, heights over 50m, ages over 400 years. The amount of dead wood is also impressive, representing 8-10% of the volume of the live stand. The understory is poorly represented, as is the herbaceous cover, most of these stands being bare beech. Regeneration is done according to natural laws.
Starting with 2017, the Natural Reserve Izvoarele Nera, was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site "Primary forests from the Carpathians and other regions of Europe". The surface of the nominated component is 4677.7ha and the buffer zone is 2496ha.
- The UNESCO Site component represents the most representative compact body of forests with a high degree of naturalness in Romania, being one of the most important components at the pan-European level.