Andrzej Wiercioch’s Borowina Headwaters – a new nature reserve on the map of Poland

Bełchatów is not only a mine and a power plant – emphasized Grzegorz Socha, Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Łódź, during the ceremony marking the establishment of a new nature reserve in the Łódź Voivodeship. Andrzej Wiercioch’s Borowina Headwaters is a natural haven designed to protect the sources of the Borowina River, along with its valuable forest and spring-related plant communities.

The 95th reserve in the Łódź Voivodeship

Yesterday afternoon, on the grounds of the Bełchatów Forest District within the Kluki municipality, the official act establishing the Andrzej Wiercioch’s Borowina Headwaters Nature Reserve was signed. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Łódź, and the General Director for Environmental Protection, Piotr Otawski. Among the honorary guests were the wife and daughter of the reserve’s namesake.

The reserve covers an area of 36.81 hectares and is almost entirely managed by the State Forests. It is now the 95th protected area in the Łódź Voivodeship, one of two accepted in May this year by the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Łódź.
The second reserve, planned to be opened later this year, is the Ciosenka Springs Reserve, within the Grotniki Forest District. The active protection of the sources of Polish rivers and streams is a development that should certainly be welcomed.

Borowina Headwaters as a natural and hydrological treasure

The goal of the new reserve is to protect a mosaic of spring, forest, and riparian habitats in the immediate vicinity of the Borowina River’s headwaters and its upper course. This is not only a biologically rich area but also one of significant importance for natural water retention. Protecting such areas is crucial from an ecological perspective, especially in times of increasingly frequent droughts that threaten forest health.

Among the most interesting local plant communities are spring alderwoods and herbaceous vegetation dominated by water mint and brooklime, surrounding sandy and stony shoals. On the edges of spring niches, valuable protected species can be found: mezereon, eggleaf twayblade, alpine clubmoss, and – a notable curiosity – northern beech fern, typically found in upper montane forests.

Along the streams flowing from the springs, fragments of ash-alder riparian forests are observed, while the slopes are overgrown with hazel and sycamore shrubs. Surrounding the area are mixed forests with a near-natural character.

According to botanists from Łódź, this is one of the most fascinating spring-forest areas in the entire region, playing an important role in maintaining the water balance.

Who was Andrzej Wiercioch?

The establishment of this new reserve is not only an important step in protecting valuable spring habitats, but also an opportunity to commemorate a man who made significant contributions to the forests of the Łódź region and was held in high regard by local foresters.

Andrzej Wiercioch served for many years as Regional Nature Conservator and Deputy Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Łódź. He is remembered as a humble and diligent man with vast knowledge, who was actively involved in nature conservation within public administration.

Sławomir Nowicki, Deputy Director of the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Łódź, took the opportunity to remind those present that a forester is not only a forest manager but also its guardian. The protection of biodiversity, water resources, and the durability of ecosystems is an integral part of our mission.

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main photo credit: RDLP w Łodzi