Codrul Secular Slătioara Nature Reserve

Codrul secular Slătioara is a protected area of national interest, a forest nature reserve (IUCN category IV), on the south-eastern slope of the Rarău Massif, in Stulpicani commune, within the village of Slătioara. It covers 1,064.20 hectares and was declared a reserve in 1941, by Decision 248 of the Council of Ministers. The forest is made up of mixed stands of spruce, fir and beech. Some fir and spruce trees are 350 to 400 years old, more than one metre in diameter and up to 50 metres tall. The trees are not logged: they die standing and decay where they fall. Protected plants growing in the reserve include the lady's slipper orchid, the leopard's-bane and the martagon lily. In 2017 an area of 609.12 hectares, with a buffer zone of 429.43 hectares, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the transnational site "Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe". The component includes parts of the Codrul secular Slătioara reserve and the Fânațele montane Todirescu floristic reserve. The reserve is also part of the Rarău-Giumalău Natura 2000 site (ROSCI0212) and the Munții Rarău-Giumalău special protection area for birds (ROSPA0083). The reserve is crossed by the trail marked with a red triangle, which starts on the western edge of Slătioara village, where the Ursului and lui Ion streams meet. The trail climbs through the old-growth forest to Poiana Todirescu and continues along the main ridge to the Pietrele Doamnei area. It is 9.3 kilometres long with about 940 metres of ascent and takes 3-4 hours.