COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

Fig. 1: Natural distribution of European beech in Poland – Gostyńska-Jakuszewska, zIelIńskI (1976)
Boratyńska, Boratyński 1990). The geographic range of European beech is limited by: continental
climate, soil conditions, winter temperatures and air humidity (Sławiński 194 , Jedliński 1953,
Boratyńska, Boratyński 1990). The growth of European- beech stands outside its natural limit
indicates that this species possesses a potentially wider range (Brzeziecki 1995, Tarasiuk 1999).
Polish European beech dominant communities were formed 2,000 years ago (Środon 1990). Their
typical habitats are moderate wet and good aerated soils, e. g. leached brown soils or brown soils,
formed from light, medium, or heavy clays, loess soils and limestone soils (Tomanek 19 0, Dzwonko
1990).
In Poland European beech attains 40 – 4 m in height and 1.5 – 2 m in diameter. It starts to
produce seeds when it is 80-year-old in stands, or when it is 50-year-old as an open-grown tree.
Seeds are produced in irregular intervals – usually every 5 – 8 years (Tomanek 19 0, Boratyńska,
Boratyński 1990).
There are the following well characterized dominant European beech forest associations in Poland
(alliance Fagion) – Matuszkiewicz (2005):
• Fagetum carpaticum–Luzulo-Fagenion, Luzlo-luzuloides-Fagetum – acid beech stand, Dentario
glandulosae-Fagetum – fertile Carpathian beech stand and Dentario enneaphyllidis-Fagetum –
fertile Sudeten European beech stand;
• Melico-Fagetum – Luzulo pilosae-Fagetum – acid lowland European beech stands, galio-odorati-
Fagetum – fertile lowland European beech stands.
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