COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

52
aN overvIeW oF euroPeaN beech
(Fagus sylvatica L.) IN bosNIa aNd herZeGovINa
absTracT
DALIBOR BALLIAN
University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Forestry, Zagrebačka 20, 1000 Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
This work presents the status of beech in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one
of the most important forests tree species in Bosnia and Herzegovina, both from the economic and
from ecological point of view. The area of beech forests extends to 665,000 ha, out of which 318,000
ha are occupied by coppice beechwoods (Matić et al. 19 1). This paper provides the most important
information on the range of this species, conservation of genetic resources, methods of management
and its importance for productive forestry.
Key words: European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), common beech, bukva (in Bosnian) distribution,
genetic resources, Bosnia and Herzegovina, forestry research
euroPeaN beech dIsTrIbuTIoN IN The bosNIa aNd
herZeGovINa
The beech (bukva) (Fagus sylvatica L.) shows very good horizontal and vertical distribution in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. It grows, in combination with sessile oak (Fagetum submontanum), in the
lowest forest zones, at higher elevations it can be found in hills, where it forms pure stands (Fagetum
montanum), and finally in mountain areas, mixed with common fir or with both fir and spruce,
forming our most important community of mixed beech and fir forests (Abieti fagetum).
The forests growing in the Central Dinarides are very specific; over a very small area there is a broad
variety of climate, edaphic, orographic and other factors which all have direct influence on the
differentiation of various ecotypes (Stefanović 19 , Stefanović et al. 1983).
According to Fukarek (19 0), beech occupies the largest part of forest land in Bosnia and
Herzegovina (Fig. 1). If a wide zone in the Western Bosnia and the entire lower Herzegovina with
thermophilous sub-Mediterranean vegetation as well as the belt of lowlands and hilly terrain in
the North and Northeast Bosnia occupied by hygrophilous and moderately thermophilous sub-
Pannonian formations are not considered, the spread of beech is the unique feature of the entire
remaining area.
Of course, deeply cut river valleys, karst fields and mountain’s summits must be excluded from this
area, as beech is rare here. In almost all river valleys, usually the southern slopes from the bottom to