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... REGION: Thrace ... Prefecture: Xanthi ... / Dasochori (Kotza Orman Forest) \ ... Nestos river is the natural boundary between Macedonia and Thrace. It has its sources in Bulgaria. After crossing deep valleys and gorges in the mountains between Mt Orvelos and Mt Rodopi, it debouches into the plains and the sea, opposite the island of Thassos. Its banks from Toxotes to the sea (length: 27km, width:3-7 km) used to be the centre of the most beautiful forest in Europe: Kotza Orman (the words mean "large or legendary forest" in Turkish). This forest covered an area of 130.000 square metres. It is very important for its vegetation and fauna. Some of the trees found here are poplars, ashes, wych-elms, oaks, bar elders. This forest was a refuge for many wild animals (such as wild boars, wolves, lynxes, otters, badgers, foxes hares and roe deer) and all the birds passing from or living in the area. Kotza Orman is indispensable for the people living nearby. It is a source of timber and a pastureland for the animals of 33 villages. From February to April and during the summer months it is a wonderful habitat for bees. One of the most impressive trees is the ash, well known all over the world for its precious wood. Another tree that is rare in Greece and abundant in Kotza Orman is the black alder. The big forest, a part of which belongs to the perfecture of Xanthi, could definitely become a National Park, accessible both from the sea and the land.

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