The Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Warsaw signed an order regarding the establishment of the Buchnik Las nature reserve on 27 August 2026. This marks the creation of the 200th such site in the Masovian Voivodeship. The newly designated protected area is located in the Jabłonna commune, within Legionowo County, and covers an area of 13.19 hectares. A buffer zone with a total area of 71.47 hectares has been designated around the main part of the reserve, aimed at protecting the designated habitat from the negative impact of human activity.
The main natural value of Buchnik Las is a nearly 200-year-old old-growth stand of pedunculate oak growing on dunes in the Vistula valley. According to source materials, the forest stands represent oak woods and continental mixed pine forests. The old trees provide a key habitat for many valuable insect species, including those under protection. Among them are the red oak buprestis (Agrilus biguttatus) and the oak bark beetle (Spondylidius calcaratus). The reserve is also significant due to ecological links with nearby Natura 2000 areas, such as the Kampińska Vistula Valley and the Middle Vistula Valley, as well as with the Ławice Kiełpińskie reserve. This creates conditions for forming an important element of a national-level ecological corridor running along the Vistula.
The process of establishing the reserve had a dual origin. The idea for its creation was proposed both within the "100 Reserves for the 100th Anniversary of State Forests" initiative and in the "Nature Reserves: Time for a Comeback" project implemented by the Nature Lovers' Club (Klub Przyrodników). The reserve was established on lands managed by the State Forest Management Enterprise – State Forests (Państwowe Gospodarstwo Leśne Lasy Państwowe), in cooperation with the Jabłonna Forestry Office. The official document was published in the Official Journal of the Masovian Voivodeship and enters into force 14 days after its announcement.
The establishment of Buchnik Las is part of broader protective actions in the region. Between 2024 and 2026, a total of 10 new nature reserves were created in the Masovian Voivodeship, covering a combined area exceeding 715 hectares. In the same period, 7 existing reserves were expanded, increasing their area by nearly 350 hectares.