The nature trail „Czarny Las” is laid out in the Czarny Las forestry district of the Radzyń Podlaski Forest Inspectorate of the State Forests of Poland, in the gmina of Milanów, Parczew County, north of Parczew. It was created in 2005. Our track is 1.6 km long, while according to OpenStreetMap the trail is 1.9 km long. The walk takes 30–40 minutes. The main highlights of the trail are a 600-meter-long wooden boardwalk and an observation tower near a forest bog.
The forest flooded by beavers
At first, the trail led through a mixed peat swamp forest: a 25–45-year-old birch forest and a 120-year-old pine forest. The groundwater level here has fluctuated for a long time, and in 2011–2012, beavers blocked a neighbouring drainage ditch. The water rose so much that it flooded about 30 hectares of the forest, the boardwalk ended up underwater, some of the trees died, and the trail had to be closed.
It was reopened after repairs in the dry year of 2015. According to the forest inspectorate, the boardwalk was raised by half a metre and extended to 600 metres so that it would remain passable even if the water rose again. An observation tower was erected near the bog. Now, dead-standing birches, alders, and pines stand all around, while young birch and alder undergrowth grows among them. The foresters intentionally left the dead trees as a home for insects, birds, and small mammals.
The „Czarny Las” Reserve nearby
Next to the trail lies the „Czarny Las” nature reserve. It was established in 1981 on an area of about 16 hectares north of the village of Kostry, near voivodeship road no. 813. It protects a fragment of a natural multi-species forest: 160-year-old oaks, 130-year-old hornbeams, and lindens grow here. In the herbaceous layer, protected plants can be found: mezereon, common twayblade, bird's-nest orchid, and lesser butterfly-orchid. The site is part of the Natura 2000 network as a separate area of almost 20 hectares. The main threats to it, according to the reserve's description, are plant destruction, litter, and the proximity of roads, so it is best to stick to the trail in the forest.
This area belongs to the Parczew Plain: according to the classification of Polish geographers, this is already Western Polissia. The forest near the trail is low-lying, on peat, cut by drainage ditches, so the water level here determines everything: both which trees will survive and whether the trail can be walked.
How to get there and what to keep in mind
Milanów lies on voivodeship road no. 813 north of Parczew, and it is most convenient to reach the trail itself by car. The boardwalk can be slippery after rain, fog, or frost, and in wet years the bog may rise again, so it is worth checking the announcements of the Radzyń Podlaski Forest Inspectorate before your trip. In summer, there are many mosquitoes here, and ticks can be found in the grass. Admission is free. This is Poland: Ukrainian citizens need a foreign passport.