COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

Because of its high share in the tree species composition, beech is represented in many primeval
forest remnants (56 out of 4 forest national nature reserves, whereas in 36 it is a dominant species,
cf. Korpeľ 1989). Four virgin forests (Stužica, Havešová, Rožok, Kyjov), together with the Ukrainian
beech reserves, have been recorded since July 28, 200 , in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage list.
beech commuNITIes
In Slovakia, beech occurs naturally in six out of eight vertical forest vegetation zones, from the 2nd
up to the th. The optimum for beech constitutes the 4th vegetation zone, where even natural pure
beechwoods occur. However, beech is naturally represented in most forest plant communities of
Slovakia, covering almost 90% of the forest area (Table 1). At low elevations, beech occurs in the
mixture with sessile oak and hornbeam. In the optimum, beech forms dense pure stands with a very
poor herb layer (communities Fagetum pauper) or communities with the occurrence of typical
beechwood species such as galium odoratum, Dentaria bulbifera, galeobdolon luteum or Asarum
europaeum (Fagetum typicum). With increasing altitude, silver fir and Norway spruce become
admixed; this so-called “Carpathian mixture” represents the most productive forests of Central
Europe (typical representatives can be found in nature reserves Dobroč or Hrončecký Grúň, where
beech reaches heights up to 4 m (Holeksa et al. 2009). On sites with a rapid nitrogen turnover,
beech is mixed with sycamore, common ash, mountain elm and linden, on rocky sites with Scots
pine and European larch.
The most common soil types in Slovak beechwoods are cambisols. However, beech is able to survive
and compete on a broad variety of soil types from podzols over andosols on volcanic bedrock
up to rankers and rendzinas on carbonate rocks, on the other hand it avoids heavy soils on loess.
The distribution of beech communities according to the CORINE classification including the
Tab. 1: Review of the phytosociological units (groups of forest types sensu Zlatník) containing beech
(RANDUŠKA, VOREL, PLÍVA 1986)
Typological unit Vegetation zone Share (%)
Fagetum quercinum 2 2.70
Fageto-Quercetum 2 15.53
Querceto-Fagetum 3 8.40
Fagetum pauper 4 18.25
Fagetum typicum 4 3.80
Fagetum dealpinum 4 4.00
Abieto-Fagetum 5 11.50
Fageto-Abietum 6 9.20
Fageto-Aceretum 6 3.50
Fagetum abietino-piceosum 6 5.50
Remaining communities 6.85
Total 89.23
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