Foraging routes · Black Sea
Eastern Black Sea highlands and the Kaçkars
From the coast to alpine meadows: beech, hornbeam and chestnut forest giving way to oriental spruce.
- records
- 92
- species
- 65
- provinces
- Trabzon, Rize
Most of Kaçkar Mountains National Park lies in the Çamlıhemşin district of Rize, with parts reaching into Erzurum and Artvin. The 51,550-hectare park sits on the Kaçkar range between the Fırtına and Hemşin streams and was protected for its old-growth forests, alpine meadows and traditional highland (yayla) life.
According to Turkish Wikipedia, broadleaf forests of hornbeam, beech, chestnut, lime and oak grow between 300 and 1,500 m, with oriental spruce, typical of the eastern Black Sea, above 1,500 m. In a short distance you pass through very different forest types.
Why this route?
In the eastern Black Sea, most macrofungi records come from the slopes climbing from Trabzon and Rize to the highland pastures. The box stretches from Trabzon to the Kaçkars; the list shows the real records inside it.
Getting there
Most of the national park is in the Çamlıhemşin district of Rize. Highland roads may close by season; check local notices before you go.
Rules and safety
The Kaçkar Mountains are a national park: under article 14/d of Law No. 2873, "any production of forest products that would disturb the natural balance" is prohibited. The highland pastures are people's grazing land and homes; do not enter private land without permission.