Dadia hill and vultures beside dead tree

The Dadia Forest is a large area of natural woodland in the Evros regional unit in northeastern

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. The forest consists mostly of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

. It is one of the most important areas in Europe for

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

, and the only forest in Europe where all four European species of

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

can be seen. It is a fully managed protected area of and is visited by about 35,000 people each year.

History

2023 wildfire

The major wildfire of August 2023 burned around 73.000 hectares (730 square kilometers) near

Alexandroupolis Alexandroupolis (, ) or Alexandroupoli (, ) is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Greek Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, with a population of 71,75 ...

, mostly in the Dadia Forest, leaving 18 people dead. This fire lasted 17 days and was stated to be "the largest recorded in the EU" up to 2023 by EU officials. The fire burned just over 50% of the Dadia Forest and it is estimated the burnt areas will take 10 years to show signs of recovery and up to 80 years to return to its original state.

Geography

The forest is located in northeastern Greece, to the northeast of

, close to the border with

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, where the eastern end of the

Rhodope Mountains The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...

are largely uninhabited and unspoiled. The area is one of tree-covered rolling hills, the Evros Hills, reaching up to about but without any high peaks. The protected area covers an area of and is surrounded by a buffer zone of about . The underlying rocks are

igneous Igneous rock ( ), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. The magma can be derived from partial ...

, some being alkaline and others acidic. Most of the area is forested, but there are some scrubland, grassland and cultivated areas. The trees are mostly oaks and pines, with some areas of primary forest and other areas of secondary, regenerated growth.

Flora

The dominant trees in Dadia Forest are

Turkish pine ''Pinus brutia'', commonly known as the Turkish pine and Calabrian pine, is a species of pine native to the eastern Mediterranean region. The bulk of its range is in Turkey, but certain varieties are naturalized as far east as Afghanistan. It is ...

, black pine, and three species of

. Growing among these are

cornelian cherry ''Cornus mas'', commonly known as cornel (also the Cornelian cherry, European cornel or Cornelian cherry dogwood), is a species of shrub or small tree in the dogwood family Cornaceae native to Western Europe, Southern Europe, and Southwestern Asia ...

, smoke bush, eastern hornbeam,

hop hornbeam ''Ostrya'' is a genus of eight to 10 small deciduous trees belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. Common names include hop-hornbeam and hophornbeam. It may also be called ironwood, a name shared with a number of other plants. The genus is na ...

wild service tree ''Torminalis'' is a genus of plants in the rose family, Rosaceae. The genus was formerly included within the genus ''Sorbus'' as the section ''Torminaria'', but the simple-leafed species traditionally classified in ''Sorbus'' are now considered ...

and turpentine tree. Herbaceous plants, herbs and bulbous plants include paeonies, various

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

, Iris pumila, dwarf iris, ''Iris reichenbachii'', ''Fritillaria pontica'', wild tulips, ''Crocus pulchellus'' and ''Colchicum''.

Fauna

About 36 species of mammal have been recorded in the protected area, as well as 40 species of reptile and amphibian, but it is as a bird reserve that the forest is best known. 36 of the 38 diurnal species of European

are present, as well as 6 nocturnal species (owls). All four native European species of vulture, the Cinereous vulture, black, Bearded vulture, bearded, Egyptian vulture, Egyptian and griffon vultures are found here; Dadia is the only forest in Europe where this happens. Eagles are plentiful, with several pairs of golden eagle nesting in the protected area. Smaller raptors include lanner falcon, levant sparrowhawk and horned owl. Both Black stork, black and white storks breed here, and among the smaller birds are semicollared flycatcher, Coraciidae, roller, masked shrike and eastern Bonelli's warbler. Altogether, 219 species of bird have been recorded.

Visitor information

The forest is a fully managed protected area and is visited by about 35,000 visitors each year. These bring economic benefits to the village of Dadia and to the wider area. Other facilities include an Ecotourism Centre, an information centre, and a coffee shop and restaurant. Cars are not permitted, but minibus ecotours are organised, and visitors can follow the trails on foot. There is a hostel near Dadia and various tracks through the forest. Carcases are put out each day to help feed the vultures and other raptors and provide a spectacle for visitors, who can watch from a hide some away.

References

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