EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - UNESCO World Heritage

90 NOMINATION DOSSIER "ANCIENT BEECH FORESTS OF GERMANY"
Another striking feature is the poverty in
species of the European deciduous wood
fl ora: there are 53 Central European species
as opposed to North America with 124
species (ELLENBERG in LANG 1994).
Due to its developmental history, Europe
is dominated by anemophilous species.
West Asia
With the Colchic, Hyrcanic, Caspian, and
Caucasian forests at the Black Sea, on the
montane level of the Caucaus Mountains as
well as on the southern edge of the Caspian
Sea, West Asia is the prime relic area of
Arcto-Tertiary forests in West Eurasia. Th e
northern slope of the Alborz is covered by
the Caspian forests, stretching over 800 km
from Southern Azerbajan across North
Iran almost up to the Turkmen border in a
width of only some 70 km. Beech forests
made up of Fagus orientalis are found in the
middle and upper montane belts. Th e beech
is accompanied by a host of maple species,
lime trees, oaks, and hornbeams. It is assumed
that the Caspian forests have developed
without any interruption caused by glacial
impact as opposed to other forests in the
deciduous forest zone. Today, the Caspian
forests in their entirety represent the most
signifi cant, albeit receding remainder of
primeval forests in the world’s deciduous
forest zone (KNAPP 2005).
North America
Th e North American deciduous forest zone
has seen the transformation of 50% of all
forests into farmland and pastures in less
than 400 years. Th e remaining deciduous
forests are mostly managed and can be
considered to be relatively near-natural only
in terms of the composition of tree species.
Fagus grandifolia is widespread in eastern
North America. Th ere are, however, no largearea
pure Fagus grandifolia forests. Th e
natural Fagus grandifolia-Acer saccharum
ranges south of the Great Lakes have been
stripped of forests almost entirely and are
densely populated (“corn belt” of the USA).
Obviously, there are no primeval forests
left with the exception of the World Heritage
site Great Smokey Mountains National
Park in America’s eastern decid uous forest
regions.
East Asia
East Asian deciduous forest areas have
shrunken to approx. 25% of their natural distribution
range. During the last approx.
6,000 years of cultural history, they have
been pushed back in a similar way as in
Europe. Today, some major woodlands are
found only in South and, in particular,
Northeast China. Th ese areas saw the
cutting down of all forests at the beginning
of the 20th century, which left the vast
region devoid of any primeval forests and
with only a very few old forests. Th e forest
development in the wake of said deforestation
was once again suppressed in the
1960s during the Cultural Revolution.
Established in 1961, the Changbai Shan
National Park on the Korean border
comprises, in its core zone of 196,463 ha,
the most important near-natural deciduous
forest stands in Manchuria. However, this
does not include any Fagus forests.
Near-natural forests are currently found in
the montane domains of Central and
South Japan as well as in the lowlands of
North Japan (ARCHIBOLD 1995).
Forests here are dominated by Fagus crenata
(SCHRÖDER 1998), which unfolds
its shaping force at the montane level
(WILMANNS 1989). It is associated with
maple, oak, and alder, with an understorey
frequently being formed by dwarf bamboo.