NASA’s Earth Observatory reported that the Landsat 9 satellite, through its Operational Land Imager, captured an image of southeast Poland’s Bieszczady National Park on October 8, 2026, as autumn color spread across the forested slopes. European beech dominates the area’s forests, with species such as sycamore maple also contributing fall color. Cooler air and shorter days reduce chlorophyll production, letting yellow and red pigments show through.

Beech forests in the park reach only to roughly 1,000 to 1,260 meters (3,300 to 4,100 feet) in elevation, the observatory said. Above that lies the polonina, a Slavic term for subalpine meadow, where open grassland and shrubby thickets of rowan, willow and green alder appear tan after losing their summer green. Patches stretch across ridge tops east-southeast of Smerek.

The observatory noted that parts of the park belong to UNESCO’s network of ancient and primeval beech forests spanning 18 countries. It also described the area’s wildlife, including European bison reintroduced in the 1960s, brown bears and Eurasian lynx.