Tourist Development of the Yew Reserve at Pângărați

Within the commune of Pângărați, on the left bank of the stream of the same name, the “Yew Reserve” extends over an area of 1.5 ha and is one of three such reserves in the country.

The reserve includes specimens of yew (Taxus baccata) over 80 years old, interspersed with specimens of pine, spruce, juniper, beech and hornbeam.

Initially declared an area of local interest by Neamț County Council Decision no. 15 dated 23.12.1994 and later a protected natural area of national interest by Law no. 5 dated 06.03.2000, the yew reserve at Pângărați is now in the custody of the Ecomoldavia association. Until recently, the forest reserve was unknown and unmarked, being treated as just a stand of trees, and the valuable yew trees were in danger of disappearing.

At the initiative of the non-governmental association “Ecomoldavia”, the project “Printre TISA – pe potecă! și eu P.O.T.! P.O.T. să protejez și ocrotesc tisa” was implemented, aiming to promote the “Pângărați Forest Reserve”, delineate it and raise civil-society awareness by establishing a visitor centre and a themed trail.

Yew Reserve, Neamț County

The project was launched in April this year and will be completed in September. Since the launch, the boundaries of the forest reserve have been established using GPS and the trees to be marked as the reserve boundary have been identified; the reserve has been cleaned, the boundary trees marked with paint, and outstanding yew specimens have been identified to form part of the themed trail. In addition, information plaques identifying the yew reserve have been produced and installed, personalised with the stories that will form the basis of the texts on the plaques.

The final stage of the project will involve establishing the route of the themed trail, which will include the yew specimens, and preparing this trail for visitors. Tourists will thus be able to visit the “Yew Reserve” at Pângărați, walk along the themed trail and admire these unique yew specimens.