COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

of Georgia up to 00 – 800 m a.s.l. and also in the sub Alpine region up to 1,800 – 2,500 m a.s.l. At
heigh mountain levels and on steep slopes there are areas still covered with high forests in a natural
state and not damaged by farming activity. .3% of the forests are situated at 500 m a.s.l. while 19.5%
are at 501 – 1,000 m a.s.l. A further 35.5% are between 1,001 – 1,500 m a.s.l. while 3 . % are over
1,501 m a.s.l. Thus almost ¾ ( 3.2%) of forests are located at 1,001 m a.s.l. and higher.
The greatest part of the forests ( 8.0%) are located on steep slopes from 21° to 35° and steeper, while
(36° and more) are slopes in mountains. Such an unequal distribution of forests according to vertical
zonation and steepness of slope defines the wide spectre of their biodiversity (Tab. 1).
Tab. 1: Distribution of areas covered with forest according to elevation (m a.s.l.) and slope inclination (°)
Elevation Slope
(m a.s.l.) % (°) %
0 – 250 3.9 0 – 10 5.5
251 – 500 3.4 11 – 15 6.8
501 – 1,000 19.5 16 – 20 9.7
1,001 – 1,250 16.8 21 – 25 16.6
1,251 – 1,500 18.7 26 – 30 18.2
1,501 – 1,750 17.8 31 – 35 19.6
1,751 – 2,000 12.9 36 – 40 15.2
>2,001 7.0 41 and above 8.4
According to the main functional aims the forest of Georgia can be divided in the following way:
Reserve forest (protected territories): 495,900 ha (16.6%)
State farming forest fund: 2,492,100 ha (83.6%)
Among them:
– forests of green zone – 265, 00 ha;
– forests of resort zone – 890,600 ha;
– soil-protective water regulation forests – 1,335,800 ha;
– total: 2,988,000 ha (100%)
The species composition of Georgian forests is very diverse. About 400 species of trees and bushes
grow naturally in these forests. Each one is an inseparable part of the ecosystem as a whole and
encompasses its own microcenosis, which are linked in 123 botanical genera and 56 families.
Included in their number are 153 species of trees, 202 species of bush, 29 species of sub-shrubs, and
11 species of liana.
Richness of endemic woody plants is a characteristic of the diversity of the dendroflora, including 61
endemic species of Georgia and 43 of the Caucasus. The occurrence of pure and mixed stands points
to the biological diversity of these forests, diversity of forest ecosystems and the complex structure.
The Georgian forests are very diverse from the point of view of biological, genetical and economical
importance and are presented as stands of valuable woody species. Based on the data of Gigauri
(2000), the broadleaved forests in Georgia occupy 83.6% of all forests and their supply of wood
accounts for 251.3 million m3 . The stands of hardwood species occupy 0.5% of broadleaved forests
and their supply of wood accounts for 290.3 million m3 . This includes the following:
The largest territories of Georgia’s forests are occupied by oriental beech at 42.5% and with a volume
of wood of 224. mil. m3 (see map).
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