The Central European mixed forests ecoregion (WWF ID: PA0412) is a temperate hardwood forest covering much of northeastern Europe, from Germany to Russia. The area is only about one-third forested, with pressure from human agriculture leaving the rest in a patchwork of traditional pasture, meadows, wetlands. The ecoregion is in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome, and the Palearctic realm, with a Humid Continental climate. It covers .

Location and description The ecoregion covers the formerly-glaciated central plains of Central Europe, from eastern Germany and the shores of the Baltic Sea, through large parts of the Czech Republic, Poland, Southern Lithuania, Belarus, Western and Central Ukraine, and a part of Russia (in Bryansk and Kaliningrad Oblasts). The terrain is mostly flat lowlands in the center, hilly moraine-dominated in the north, and uplands to the south along the Carpathian Mountains. To the north is the Sarmatic mixed forests ecoregion, the forests of which feature more spruce and pine. To the east is the East European forest steppe, in which the forest stands thin out into grasslands. To the south is the Carpathian montane forests ecoregion, featuring mountain pastures and forests of beech, spruce, elm, and dwarf pine. Also to the north are the Baltic mixed forests of oaks, hornbeam, and linden trees on flat, acidic soils. To the west is the Western European broadleaf forests ecoregion, which is now mostly cultivated agricultural land.

Climate The portions of the ecoregion in Germany and western Poland have a climate that is classified as Marine west coast (Cfb). The eastern part has a climate of Humid continental climate, warm summer (Köppen climate classification (Dfb)). This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over , but no month averaging over . The summers become hotter and the winters colder as you move east across the ecoregion, due to the movement towards the center of the continent ("continentality"). The mean January temperature is in Germany to in Belarus. Precipitation average between 500 mm and 700 mm, mostly falling during the summer growing season.

Flora and fauna Oak forests are characteristic throughout the region, with some pine forests in the north. Forest cover ranges from 15% in Ukraine to 33% in the Czech Republic. The most common tree in the ecoregion, covering half of the forested area, is Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies), English oak (Quercus robur), Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), and Silver birch (Betula pendula), which has been planted extensively over the past 200 years. The truly mixed deciduous forests which mostly consist of Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Picea abies, Alnus glutinosa, Fagus sylvatica, Taxus baccata, Acer pseudoplatanus, Malus sylvestris, Viburnum lantana, Fraxinus excelsior, Tilia cordata, Aesculus hippocastanum, Rhamnus cathartica, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus minor, Populus alba, Salix alba, Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula, Populus tremula, Populus nigra, Juglans regia, Juniperus communis, Prunus padus and Corylus avellana, have been replaced mostly by agriculture. The non-forested areas are largely meadows and pastures dedicated to human agricultural uses. There are also extensive wetlands in the lowlands. The wetlands support diverse bird communities, but mammals are heavily pressured by human land use. Because of the uniformity of the terrain and openness to other regions, there are no endemic species in the ecoregion. In some countries, 20-30 of the mammal species are threatened.

European bison

The Białowieża Forest on the Belarus-Poland border is home to one of the last herds of European bison, also known as wisent, the heaviest surviving wild land animal in Europe Historically, the wisent's range encompassed all of the European lowlands, extending from the Massif Central to the Caucasus. Its range decreased as growing human populations cut down trees. The European bison became extinct in southern Sweden in the 11th century, and southern England in the 12th century. The species survived in the Ardennes and the Vosges until the 15th century before being hunted to extinction. In mid-16th century Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Sigismund II Augustus pronounced a death penalty for poaching a European bison in Białowieża. Despite these measures, its population continued to decline. During World War I, occupying German troops killed 600 wisent for food, hides, and horns. The last wild European bison in Poland was killed in 1919. They were reintroduced from captivity.Zdzsław Pucek, European Bison (Bison Bonasus): Current State of the Species and Strategy for Its Conservation published by Council of Europe, 2004, , 978-92-871-5549-8

History

Protected areas The Central European mixed forests has been affected heavily by human activity.

19.86% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Most protected areas are small and fragmented. Some of the large, or more representative, protected areas in the ecoregion include: Białowieża Forest (Belarus, Poland), the last large fragment of Old-growth forest that used to stretch across the European Plain. (Area: 3,086 km2) Name Country YearThe year given here, marks the earliest establishment. Several protections has been expanded later on. km²Rounded numbers. Forest might not cover all of the protected area. IUCN Notes Aukštadvaris Regional Park 1992 170 V Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park 1932 1500 II Belarusian part of the Białowieża Forest. Białowieża National Park 1932 105 II Polish part of the Białowieża Forest. Biebrza National Park 592 Largest national park in Poland, is 25% forested,the remainder is field, meadow, and marsh. Bryansky Les Nature Reserve 122 Area of old-growth forest on the easterntip of the ecoregion in Bryansk Oblast. Cheremske Nature Reserve 30 Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve 2269 Includes the Red Forest. Cozia National Park 167 Curonian Spit National Park (Lithuania) 1991 274 II Includes the Parnidis Dune. Curonian Spit National Park (Russia) 1987 66 II Includes the Dancing Forest. Čepkeliai Marsh 1993 112 Ia Ramsar site. Derman–Ostroh National Nature Park 16 Desna–Stara Huta National Nature Park 162 Dieveniškės Regional Park 1992 86 V Dniester Canyon National Nature Park 108 Drawa National Park 114 Drevlians Nature Reserve 309 Dzūkija National Park 1991 585 II Hainich National Park 75 Halych National Nature Park 147 Transition zone between Central European mixedforests and Carpathian montane conifer forests Holosiiv National Nature Park 19 Borders on the East European forest steppe. Kampinos National Park 384 Kaniv Nature Reserve 20 Transition zone between Central European mixedforests and East European forest steppe Kauno Marios Regional Park 1992 1017 V Khotyn National Nature Park 20 Kremenets Mountains National Nature Park 62 Lower Oder Valley National Park 103 Lower Polissia National Nature Park 88 Representative of the Polesia areaof Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. Medobory Nature Reserve 105 Meteliai Regional Park 1992 177 V Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve 430 Stretches along the Elbe River in Saxon-Anhalt,covering the largest river-meadow complex in Middle Europe. Narew National Park 78 Covers wetlands along the moraines of theNarew river, exemplifying a Braided river Nemunas Delta Regional Park 1994 290 V Nemunas Loops Regional Park 1992 252 V Neris Regional Park 1992 100 V Transition zone between Central European mixedforests and Sarmatic mixed forests Northern Podillia National Nature Park 56 Ojcowski National Park 22 Orlovskoye Polesye National Park 842 Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park 2613 Podyjí National Park 63 Poleski National Park 98 Polissia Nature Reserve 201 Prypiat–Stokhid National Nature Park 393 Prypyatskiy National Park 635 Raigardas Landscape Reserve 1960 11 V On the Ukrainian border. Rambynas Regional Park 1992 48 V Northern edge. Rivne Nature Reserve 423 Roztocze National Park 85 Seaside Regional Park 1992 56 V Northernmost tip of the Central European mixedforests; borders on the Sarmatic mixed forests. Shatsk National Natural Park 325 Świętokrzyski National Park 76 Thayatal National Park 13 Trakai Historical National Park 1992 81 II Tsumanska Pushcha National Nature Park 2010 335 II Upper Pobuzhzhia National Nature Park 1080 Vištytis Regional Park 1992 108 V Warta Mouth National Park 2001 81 II Designated 1984. Wielkopolska National Park 76 Wigry National Park 151 Yavoriv National Nature Park 71 Zalissia National Nature Park 148 Žuvintas Biosphere Reserve 186

Virtually all national parks and scientific nature reserves of Moldova are in the Central European mixed forests zone, including the Orhei National Park, the Codru Reserve and the Pădurea Domnească.

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