Fir forest
The forest-forming tree species of the fir forests in Central Europe is only one species, the white fir ( Abies alba ), which occurs only in exceptional cases in pure fir forests. Globally, pure fir forests can be found in particular in the circum-Mediterranean subtropical high mountains of the Mediterranean, the Sino-Himalayan high mountains and, in the New World, the nemoral coniferous forests of North America. Monodominant fir forests come from the reservoir-rich Pacific coastal forests of the Coast Mountains with extremely shade-tolerant purple firs at sea level to subalpine border ecotones up to 4300–4500 m altitude, where Abies fargesii and the scalloped fir are among the highest-rising tree species in the Tibetan highlands and Yunnan -Guizhou Plateaus include.
The silver fir as a forest tree
The silver fir is essentially a tree species from the Central and Southern European mountains with a clear distribution focus in the montane altitude range. It is absent in the very continental mountains of Eastern Europe as well as in the extreme Atlantic Northwest. There are no natural fir forests in Scandinavia, the area of the Siberian fir ( Abies sibirica ) only begins further east. The fir is predominantly a mixed and companion tree species, especially in the so-called mixed mountain forest, of which it has a share of 8–15% in the German Alps. Pure fir forests are very rare, forests with predominantly silver fir are also the exception. This is due to the great competitiveness of the competing forest tree species, common spruce and red beech . In addition, the silver fir was and is for centuries disadvantaged as a forest tree compared to other species by forestry and has therefore lost most of its former natural occurrence.
Ecology of the silver fir tree
The silver fir has similar ecological demands as the red beech and the spruce and is almost always associated with one or both species. One can imagine that the species of the common beech, which is superior in the lowlands due to faster youth growth, and of the frost-harder and more cold-resistant spruce in the mountains are more or less "pinched", so that only a forest belt in the middle (montane) mountain forest level remains . The fir tree is a very shady tree species that is very shade-tolerant in its youth and hardly comes into its own in clearings or pioneer forests. Their regeneration strategy is based primarily on extremely slow-growing young trees, which eke out a miserable existence in the forest shelter for decades. If a gap then opens due to the death of an old tree, they can grow up quickly. Firs are soil-vague (i.e. they occur on both acidic and basic soils) and are able to develop their characteristic, deep taproot even on difficult soils such as heavy, waterlogged clay soils. Climatically, they prefer cool, humid areas with relatively high rainfall and not too extreme night frosts. Due to their high age of up to 500 years, silver firs can outlast two generations of beeches (from 200 to 250 years each) in the primeval forest and can tower above them by many meters with stature heights of up to 65 meters. Firs show strong and continuous growth even with age, but are clearly inferior to both beech and spruce when they are young for these optimal locations. Therefore they only come to dominance where the competitiveness of these species is reduced.
Distribution of the fir forests in Central Europe
Forests of the tree species silver fir make up 2% of the forest area in Germany. The proportions are higher in the Alpine countries of Austria (7%) and particularly Switzerland (15%). Fir trees prefer the peripheral Alps with higher rainfall; in the central Alps they are rare and isolated, e.g. B. in Valais. Larger natural fir forests also exist v. a. in Slovenia (10% of the forest area). In the other countries with natural fir occurrences, the proportion is even lower than in Germany. The German state with the largest occurrence of fir trees is Baden-Württemberg, with the main occurrence in the Black Forest. Bavaria is also relatively rich in firs, with around 48,000 hectares of fir forest.
The silver fir has a natural distribution limit that runs through the middle of Germany. Your area includes the south of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria with the exception of the north-west. In Thuringia, it has a tiny relic area in the ridges of the Thuringian Forest. It is extremely rare in the northeast, e.g. B. in Lausitz, before. The scattered individual deposits in Brandenburg are followed by deposits in the Polish and Belarusian hills and plains. This north-eastern edge of the area is the only area in which natural fir forests occur below the mountain forest level (minimum approx. 130 m above sea level). This is probably due to the fact that the European beech falls out a little earlier to the east than the fir, so that it has a small area without beech competition.
Forest societies
Natural fir forests occur in two different location areas.
- On well base-supplied, but often heavy and waterlogged limestone and limestone marl soils. The accompanying tree is almost always the common beech, often also the spruce. In terms of ecology and species composition, these forests are similar to the beech forests and are grouped with them in the sociology of plants in the Fagion association within the Querco-Fagetea class, which otherwise includes almost only deciduous forests. The fir tree only dominates here on soils that are suboptimal for the otherwise competitive European beech. More typical are sporadic firs in the beech-dominated "mixed mountain forest" (Calamagrostio-Fagetum or Aposerido-Fagetum).
- On strongly acidic, damp or waterlogged soils. The spruce is always a companion, while red beech is missing. These stocks are taken together with the acidic spruce and pine forests in the class Vaccinio-Piceetea.
Alpendost fir forest
The Adenostylae glabrae-Abietum , named after the Green Alpendost, grows on pure limestone soils, exclusively in the limestone Alps, with the western Alps being preferred. Soil type is a humus carbonate soil, usually a "Tangelhumus" with a thick layer that is rich in lime right down to the topsoil. Tree species are fir, spruce, beech and sycamore maple.
Wintergreen fir forest
The Pyrolo Abietum settles in similar locations to the Alpendost fir forest, also in somewhat lower elevations and in the low mountain ranges. The place of growth is often heavy limestone marl soils, which appear to be shallow, but allow the fir tree to take root through even deeper horizons in crevices and crevices. The most important tree species are fir, spruce and red beech. Name-giving type of herb layer is the pear green ( Pyrola secunda , syn. Orthilia secunda ). Other typical species include forest quail wheat and numerous lime and mulled humus pointers such as forest ringelkraut and nodding pearl grass .
Bedstraw fir forest
The Galio rotundifoliae Abietum is also common on limestone. Compared to the Alpendost fir forest and the wintergreen fir forest, the topsoil can be weakly acidic. In the species spectrum, gauze soil pointers, which are common in deciduous forests, mix with typical conifer companions, which prefer acidic soils. Tree species are fir and spruce, the common beech still occurs, but is rare and subordinate. The name -giving herb layer is the round-leaf bedstraw .
Hainsimsen-fir forest
The Luzulo nemorosae Abietum grows on acidic, moist and nutrient-poor soils, mostly in a cool, humid location (shady slopes). Humus type is usually a humus of the "Moder" type. Tree species are fir and spruce. In the herb layer, besides fern species such as mountain fern ( Oreopteris limbosperma ) and rib fern , the grove species whitish grove rims ( Luzula luzuloides . Luzula nemorosa is synonymous) and forest grove rims stand out.
Lingonberry and fir forest
The Vaccinio Abietum grows on very watery or alternately moist, extremely acidic and very nutrient-poor soils. The humus type here is a "raw humus" with thick layers of undecomposed needle litter. In addition to fir and spruce, the Scots pine can be involved as a tree species. The forest type is characterized primarily by extensive moss coverings in which peat moss can occur. In the sparse and species-poor herb layer, dwarf shrubs such as lingonberries and blueberries are particularly noticeable.
Other forest types with the participation of the fir
Towards the north-east, the fir appears in the low mountain ranges only in the midst of natural spruce forests and no longer forms its own forest communities. It only occurs here on extremely acidic (and often wet) soils. Occasional admixtures of the fir in submontane sour humus beech forests (Luzulo-Fagetum) have become very rare today. In the north-eastern hill country there are natural admixtures of fir trees in acidic oak forests (Luzulo albidae-Quercetum petraeae), these are sometimes called "Abieti-Quercetum" by Czech vegetation experts. The occurrences on the northeastern limit of distribution in the lowlands are in the linden-rich oak-hornbeam forest or "Tilio-Carpinetum".
Silver fir in the commercial forest
The silver fir has been pushed back by modern forestry like hardly any other tree species and has lost most of its natural occurrence, especially in the low mountain range. Their slow youth growth and their special regeneration strategy are economically disadvantageous in the age group forest, although the value of the wood is comparable to that of spruce wood. Almost all fir forests on acidic soils have been converted into spruce forests. In modern forests, firs are sometimes spared as a rarity, even if their economic importance is negligible. In the mixed mountain forest, it is a subsidized companion tree that can help stabilize the population through its storm resistance.
Even in protected stands, even in some primeval forests, a slow decline in the proportion of fir trees can be observed. Partly responsible for this is the “dying of the fir”, a complex disease in which, according to recent findings, a parasitic fungus species (of the genus Phytophthora ) is involved in addition to the major role played by the air pollutant sulfur dioxide . In some near-natural stands, the fir may also lose soil compared to the common beech, at whose expense it was indirectly promoted by former forest pastures with cattle. The silver fir is extremely sensitive to browsing by hoofed game, especially roe deer, and is strongly pushed back by the high game density in many forests. In many regions, outside of gates, it can no longer taper at all.
The silver fir is hardly ever grown outside of its natural range in Germany, although the tree species has been planted everywhere. It never played a role in Christmas tree cultures. The distantly related Nordmann fir from Asia Minor and the Caucasus has been used here for a relatively short time .
Fir forest as a place or field name
The term fir forest appears relatively seldom in names, mostly in a tourist context. “Fir” or “Christmas tree” can also mean another conifer, often the Norway spruce , which is usually not differentiated from the silver fir for people who have no closer reference to forest and trees. However, this does not only apply to modern names. Even with historical field names, there was in many cases regionally only one expression for conifers, which could then be called “firs / trees”, “spruces / fruits” or “pines” without distinction. In historical names, each of these expressions can therefore possibly denote a different tree species than has become customary in modern, systematic naming. The "Dannen" in Dannenberg or Dannenwalde were probably pine trees. As a "fir forest" is u. a. a (deciduous) forest area near Leipzig (see Tannenwald (Leipzig) ).
literature
- Hamberger, Joachim: Contributions to the fir. (= LWF Knowledge. Volume 45). Bavarian State Institute for Forestry and Forestry, Freising 2004.
- Jörg Ewald: Ecology of the silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) In the Bavarian Alpine region. In: Forum geobotanicum. 1, 2004, pp. 9-18.
- H. Walentowski, M. Fischer, R. Seitz: Fir-dominated forests in Bavaria, Germany. In: Forest ecology online. 2, 2005, pp. 68-89. (afsv.de)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Aljos Farjon: Pinaceae: drawings and descriptions of the genera 'Abies',' Cedrus', 'Pseudolarix', 'Keteleeria', 'Nothotsuga', 'Tsuga', 'Cathaya', 'Pseudotsuga', 'Larix' and 'Picea '. Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein 1990, ISBN 3-87429-298-3 , p. 15.