UNESCO World Natural Heritage Grumsin Beech Forest
Why is Grumsin Beech Forest a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site?
Special features of the Grumsin Beech Forest subarea.
The Grumsin Beech Forest represents lowland beech forests thriving on glacial sands and clays, covering an area of approximately 590 hectares Located within the Biosphärenreservat Schorfheide-Chorin Reserve in northern Brandenburg’s Uckermark region.
it has been a core zone of this biosphere reserve since 1990. Decades of non-intervention have allowed the forest to develop naturally, resulting in a high proportion of old-growth trees, pristine small water bodies, and intact peatlands, providing rare habitats for species such as the white-tailed eagle, black stork and European tree frog. Its special protection status ensures that it will continue to be available as an intact ecosystem in the future.
In 2011, the Grumsin Beech Forest became one of 93 sites in the serial World Heritage Site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe“. This is the largest serial UNESCO World Heritage site, spanning 18 countries and protecting the last untouched and near-natural beech forests across Europe.
Special features of the Grumsin Beech Forest
A defining feature of the Grumsin Beech Forest is the close connection between water and forest. The landscape includes five lakes (Buckowsee, Großer Dabersee, Moossee, Brakensee, and Schwarzer See) and numerous peatlands, forming a distinctive ecological character.
The sandy, low-calcium soils and limited groundwater interaction have fostered the development of soft water lakes with low calcium content. This unique water chemistry supports rare flora and fauna. For instance, Moossee is surrounded by a floating peat bog dominated by sphagnum mosses,
creating habitats for species such as the carnivorous round-leaved sundew.
Other species specialized in moorland habitats can also be found in Buchenwald Grumsin,
including cotton grasses, cranberry, and swamp rosemary, are also found in Grumsin Beech Forest. Decaying wood in the forest fosters habitats for beetle larvae and various fungi, while large bird species such as white-tailed eagles and cranes thrive in this undisturbed environment.
Ecosystem services of Buchenwald Grumsin.
Buchenwald Grumsin is not only a hotspot of biodiversity but also serves many functions. In addition to its recreational and educational value for people, it plays essential roles in the ecosystem, such as cooling the landscape, balancing temperature fluctuations, increasing humidity, and improving air quality.
There is initial evidence that “primeval forests” are relatively resilient under extreme climatic conditions, such as global warming, and highly efficient in their microclimatic regulation. In scientific studies, including those on the Grumsin Beech Forest (external link to an English-language website), researchers examined the temperature cooling, particularly during the hot days of the extreme years between 2017-2023. They concluded that Core zones remained cooler and more resilient, followed by buffer zones (you can view the core and buffer zones of Buchenwald Grumsin here). From this, the authors concluded that older forests are particularly worthy of protection and recommend expanding the area of primeval forests and including larger buffer zones.
Biodiversity in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Grumsin Beech Forest
The Grumsin Beech Forest has some remarkably steep slopes for a lowland area. This relief provides the basis for a wide variety of forest communities, wetlands and small-scale zones. On dry hilltops, the dominant beech is replaced by the sessile oak, on slopes by hornbeam, in damp hollows by ash and on lake shores by alder. Wet areas in the Grumsin Beech Forest are colonised by elongated sedge-alder forests, which are characteristic elements of lowland beech forests.
The forest is home to 349 higher plant species, with 17% listed as endangered. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of 24 species that are on the German red list and make up about seven per cent of all the species recorded. Notable rare plants include the marsh sedge, swamp rosemary, adder’s-tongue fern, dragon arum, royal fern, and flowering rush, benefiting from the water-rich environment.
Grumsin is also a breeding ground for endangered large bird species, such as white-tailed eagles, cranes, ospreys and black storks. Wolves, which returned to Germany from the Polish border area about 20 years ago, have also been regularly observed in Grumsin Beech Forest and the surrounding area since 2008. For several years now, the wildcat has also been native to the area again.
