Wrzosowiska w Okonku

Wrzosowiska w Okonku ("Heathlands at Okonek") is a nature reserve of about 204 hectares in the Okonek forest district, Złotów County, Greater Poland Voivodeship. It protects a complex of heathland and sandy grassland with characteristic flora and fauna, on a former military training ground^[1].

The reserve protects the characteristic fauna of open heath and sand grassland, though the sources do not name species^[1]. It lies within the Natura 2000 site "Poligon w Okonku".

Heathland and sandy grassland are the protected habitats. They developed through heavy past use of the training ground, including vehicle traffic and fires, and are kept open by active protection that cuts back encroaching trees and shrubs^[1].

The reserve lies in the Szczecinek Lakeland mesoregion^[1]. Its open, sandy ground is the basis of the heath and sand grassland that cover it.

The area has a temperate climate with cold winters and warm summers. The open heath is exposed to sun and wind, which, along with sandy soil, favours low heathland plants.

The ground was a Soviet military training ground used by the Northern Group of Forces and abandoned in the mid-1990s^[1]. Decades of manoeuvres left bare, disturbed ground where heath could establish.

The reserve was created in 2008 by a regional voivodeship regulation (Dz. Urz. 2008 no. 116, item 2128), covering 204.13 hectares of former training-ground forest land. It is under active protection^[1].

The Okonek Forest District publishes a walking trail and a walking-and-cycling trail through the reserve^[2]. A viewpoint stands at the site of a former observation and command post^[1].

The reserve is managed by the Okonek Forest District, ul. Kolejowa 16, Okonek; trail information and notices about temporary closures of forest roads are on the district's site^[2]. Visitors should check these before going.

Active protection keeps the heath open by cutting back trees and shrubs that would otherwise take over^[1]. The reserve is part of the Poligon w Okonku Natura 2000 site.