Forest societies of Central Europe

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Forest society is a term used in biology , primarily geobotany , forestry and plant sociology .

Forest communities represent a system of order with which man wants to get an overview of the abundance of natural phenomena. They merge into one another without gaps and in manifold ways, so they do not represent actual natural units like species. In Central Europe, forest societies are usually described as plant societies according to the plant sociological system. In other regions, other systems of order are predominantly in use, most of which are based on the main forest tree species (while the entire community, including the herbaceous species, is of equal importance for the definition of plant communities). The knowledge about the natural forest communities is mainly in forestry and nature conservation as well as for their specialist planning, e.g. B. Afforestation (forest increase) and landscape planning of great value. They are the subject of investigation in botany , plant sociology and ecology .

A forest society is any type of forest that can be characterized and delimited based on its combination of species. Natural forest communities, the composition of which is not influenced by humans, form climax vegetation in almost all locations in Central Europe . This is the specific species composition which, depending on the location factors, would occur naturally (without human intervention) in the course of succession . It is of particular value as a reference state for characterizing the site potential and for predicting natural developments (successions). The term potential natural vegetation is related ; this is also mostly forest communities (for a definition of the terms, see there). The real forest communities deviate more or less clearly from the conditions defined in this way. These deviations are based partly on succession processes (e.g. pre-forests after reforestation of forest-free areas), partly on usage influences. In addition to the influences of today's forestry due to the longevity of forest ecosystems, the influences of earlier forms of forest use, e.g. B. coppice forest management , forest pasture , litter use for a long time. Further influencing factors that can be reflected in the forest communities are e.g. B. Immissions or the effects of climate change. There are also effects of fauna (e.g. herbivores), but the details are complex and difficult to detect.

External disturbances, above all human use, had and still have the consequence that the proportion of near-natural forest communities has in some cases shrunk to below 10% of the remaining forest area in Central Europe. Many of the natural forest communities are therefore under nature protection. For the historical development of the forest communities up to their present-day appearance, see History of the forest in Central Europe .

Geobotanical classification of forest communities

For the most part, the forest in Central Europe would develop into the zonal societies of mixed beech forests ( Fagetalia ) today, in the post-warming period , without disturbing influences in oceanic and sub-oceanic areas . The development of the zonal forest communities is mainly influenced by the major climate. Within the zonal forests of “middle” locations there are a number of superimposed location factors that favor the development of azonal forest communities. Finally, extra-zonal forest communities are forest communities in which the location factors are more similar to other vegetation areas. So z. For example, forest types occur on particularly warm southern slopes whose main distribution area is further south.

Zoning

One distinguishes between

  • zonal forest communities that are mainly influenced by the large-scale climate. They differ in the soil conditions (soil type, nutrient supply, acidity). For example, the common beech is competitive on most soil types in oceanic climates; it forms the lime-beech forest on lime-rich soils, and a beech-pedunculate oak or beech-sessile oak forest on lime-poor sandy soils. In more continental climates, the mixed beech forests increasingly become mixed oak forests, as the pedunculate oak can withstand greater temperature and humidity fluctuations than the common beech.
  • azonal forest communities : These are linked to a specific ecological factor, such as extreme wetness, extreme drought. If these conditions exist, the zonal society is displaced. Typical are azonal forest communities z. B. along rivers: the zonal mixed beech forest changes into hardwood floodplains (pedunculate oak- elm forest) when periodically flooded and into softwood meadows ( alluvial forests ) when flooded for longer periods . In the event of permanent waterlogging, the zonal forest communities change into swamp or quarry forests (e.g. alder quarries ), in climatically special locations such as gorges into canyon forests .
  • extrazonal forest communities: local factors (above all the relief) change the large climate. It can e.g. B. to reduced solar radiation and more moisture (north slope). The closing societies that would appear here are to be found further north or south as a zonal society. For example, thermophilic oak forests (sessile oak and English oak forests) form on rocky steep slopes facing south, which are more similar to southern European locations than central European ones.

Height gradations

Overlaying these modifications are the influences of the altitude levels. These influence the location factors in a complex way. In general, the forest communities at higher altitudes are similar to those in northern latitudes, although there are numerous differences in the details. In the oceanic climate, for example, the planar or colline beech-oak forest changes with increasing height into the high-colline or submontane beech- fir ( spruce ) forest. With increasing altitude, the proportion of European beech decreases rapidly, that of fir and spruce increases. The subalpine spruce forest is formed, which is very similar to the boreal spruce forest because of the climate at high altitudes .

Overview of the forest communities

Shrubbery and shrubbery near the forest

Coniferous forests and related heaths

  • Limestone pine forests and alpine rose bushes, Erico pinetea .
    • Snow heather pine forest ( Erico-Pinetum sylvestris ). Light pine forests, often on the limestone gravel of the Alpine rivers
    • Alpine heather bushes ( Erico-Rhododendretum hirsuti )
  • Pine steppe forests, Pulsatillo pinetea
    • Wintergreen pine steppe forest ( Pyrolo-Pinetum sylvestris , syn .: Peucedano-Pinetum )
  • Acid coniferous forests , vaccinio piceetea
    • Sand pine forest or white moss pine forest ( Leucobryo pinetum ). Natural pine forest in dry, acidic locations with a subcontinental climate
    • species-poor pine forests v. a. Northern Germany ( Deschampsia flexuosa-Pinus sylvestris (basal) society )
    • Bogberry-Scots pine bog forest Vaccinio uliginosi-Pinetum sylvestris , Scots pine bog forest on oligotrophic peat in the bank of dystrophic waters and on raised bogs. In other landscapes, the downy birch or the bog pine, a subspecies of the mountain pine or Spirke, appears instead of the Scots pine
    • Riding grass-spruce forest Calamagrostio villosae-Piceetum . Natural spruce forest of the higher low mountain ranges.
    • Alpine lettuce- spruce forest Homogyno-Piceetum . Natural spruce forest in the Alps
    • Larch pine forest ( Vaccinio-Pinetum cembrae ). Alpine forest, distribution focus in the central Alps.
    • Rust alpine rose heather ( Rhododendro-Vaccinietum ferruginei ). Bushes above the alpine tree line or (mostly) after the larch-stone pine forest has been destroyed by logging and grazing.
    • Lingonberry-spruce-fir forest ( Vaccinio-Abietum ). montane mixed spruce and fir forest, prefers continental climate
    • Riding grass-spruce-beech forest ( Calamagrostio villosae-Fagetum ). Montaner spruce-beech mixed forest of the eastern low mountain range
    • Hainsimsen-spruce-fir forest ( Luzulo-Abietum ). Montaner spruce-fir-beech mixed forest of the western low mountain range

Deciduous forests and related shrubbery (Querco-Fagetea)

Alluvial forests and swamp forests

    • Pedunculate oak-elm forest Querco-Ulmetum minoris , hardwood floodplain with periodically flooded, sandy floodplain
    • Angelseggen-alder-ash forest Carici remotae-Fraxinetum , ash forest on flowing waters on wet limestone soils
    • Black cherry-alder-ash forest Pruno-Fraxinetum , swamp forest of the lowlands and floodplains on Anmoor gley and Nassgley
    • Grove-alder alluvial forest Stellario-Alnetum glutinosae , black alder alluvial forest of the frequently flooded alluvial soil in the summer flood area of ​​lime-poor brooks and smaller rivers
  • Riverside willow bushes and willow forests , Salicetea purpureae
    • White willow forest Salicetum albae , White Willow Break Willow High willow black poplar - osier backlog on frequent and longer flooded areas of rivers and streams (below the summer floods), on gravel and sand (raw soils)
    • Lavender willow bushes ( Salicetum eleagni ). Replaces the Siber willow forest on the same locations in the mountains

  • Alder hives Alnion glutinosae , e.g. B .:
    • Walzenseggen-Erlenbruchwald Alnion glutinosae , Erlenbruchwald on intact fen soils with high groundwater was different trophic levels (nutrient rich)
    • Moorseggen-alder forest Carici laevigatae-Alnetum , alder swamp forest on fens
    • Gray willow bushes Salicetum cinerae . Pioneer or pre-forest in the reforestation of wet meadows and sedges

  • Birch swamp forests, Betulion pubescentis , e.g. B .:
    • Carpathian birch quarry forest: Betuletum carpaticae , light birch bog forest on the edges of swelling high and intermediate moors in the montane layers of the low mountain range with the differential species Carpathian birch (Betula pubescens ssp. Carpatica).
    • Birch quarry forest: Betuletum pubescentis , light birch quarry forest, birch bog forest on nutrient-poor peat soils on the edge of raised and intermediate bogs as well as dystrophic waters in wet oligotrophic areas

Mixed oak forests of acidic sites, Quercetalia robori-petraeae

  • Birch-oak forest , Betulo-Quercetum , on dry to fresh, nutrient-poor sandy soils, especially in north-western Germany (Atlantic to sub-Atlantic climate)
  • Hawkweed sessile oak forest Hieracio-Quercetum petraeae , dry oak forest on dry, shallow, nutrient-poor and base-poor soils ( tendrils ) on rocks and rock sediments as well as on steep slopes facing south
  • Dyer's gorse-sessile oak forest Genisto tinctoriae-Quercetum petraeae

Downy oak forests and oak steppe forests Quercetalia pubescenti-petraeae

Downy oak forests are the zonal forest type of the moderate Mediterranean climate and the low Mediterranean mountain range ("sub-Mediterranean"). In Central Europe they occur only in islands and over small areas in Austria, Switzerland and southern Germany. Oak steppe forests replace the downy oak forests in the more continental south-east Europe with just as hot summers but significantly colder winters.

  • Rock maple and sessile oak mixed forest Aceri monspessulani - Quercetum petraeae
  • Central European downy oak mixed forest Quercetum pubescenti-petraeae
  • Eastern Central European subcontinental oak dry forest Potentillo albae-Quercetum petraeae

Mixed beech forests, Fagetalia

Hainsimsen-Buchenwald (Luzulo-Fagetum), naturally the most common forest community in Germany. In real terms, however, the proportion of beech trees makes up only about one seventh in German forests, while more than half of the trees are spruce and pine. By nature, 67 percent of Germany's land area would be covered by mixed beech forests and only one percent by pure coniferous forests.

In addition to the beech forests themselves, these also include forests of other tree species, e.g. T. mixed with beech, z. Sometimes completely without these, but with a similar species composition. The hardwood floodplain forests described above also belong to the Fagetalia. Examples:

  • Hainsimsen-beech forest , Luzulo-Fagetum , beech forest on acidic silicate soils of the low mountain ranges (sand, sandstone, weathered granite)
  • Drahtschmielen- Buchenwald Deschampsio flexuosae-Fagetum . Replaces the grove beech forest in the plains of northwest Central Europe and is very similar to it.
  • Oak-beech forest Lonicero periclymeni-Fagetum , red beech- grape oak-pedunculate oak mixed forest on fresh to dry, base-poor and moderately nutrient-rich, slightly clayey sandy soils
  • Flattergras- Buchwald Milio-Fagetum , ground acidic Book-English oak-ash-mixed forest of the planar stage, loess soil Sandlössböden and sandy loam soil of the basic moraine , mesotrophic, partly pseudovergleyte Parabraunerden and brown earths . Inhabits richer locations than the aforementioned forest types.
  • Woodruff beech forest Galio odorati-Fagetum , "Central Association" of the Fagion Association, on "medium" locations, thus without their own character types. Very common.
  • Forest barley beech forest or fresh beech beech forest , Hordelymo-Fagetum , beech forest base-rich soils over limestone, rendzina, brown earth-rendzina , brown earth, loess and parabrown earth
  • Sedge-beech forest Carici-Fagetum , on shallow limestone soils ( Rendzina ) and cliff sites; often exposed to the south, drier than the barley-beech forest
  • Spruce-fir-beech mixed forest Aposerido-Fagetum (syn. Lonicerae alpigenae-Fagetum ). Mountain mixed forest of the montane level.
  • montane limestone fir forest Pyrolo Abietum
  • montane silicate fir forest Galio-rotundifolii-Abietum
  • Star chickweed- oak-hornbeam forest Stellario-Carpinetum , hornbeam-pedunculate oak mixed forest, often with bird cherry and winter linden, on fresh to moist, low-lime, nutrient-rich gullies
  • Forest rennet-oak-hornbeam forest, Galio-Carpinetum , on shallow, alternately dry, waterlogged clay soils in winter
  • Ash and sycamore ravine forest Fraxino-Aceretum pseudoplatani , hardwood rich block, rubble and hillside forests on mostly deep brown soils or rendzinen in the area of ​​humid, cool slopes; also on alluvial stream and river sediments as well as on fine-earth block debris fields
  • Norway maple-linden forest , Aceri-Tilietum platyphylli , block debris forest of the montane level

Scientific classifications

See also

literature

  • Heinz Ellenberg : Vegetation of Central Europe with the Alps. From an ecological, dynamic and historical perspective (= UTB for science. Big series. 8104). 5th, heavily changed and improved edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-8252-8104-3 .
  • Werner Härdtle , Jörg Ewald, Norbert Hölzel: Forests of the lowlands and the low mountain ranges. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5639-9 .
  • Hans-Jürgen Otto : Forest ecology (= UTB for science. Large series. 8077). Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8252-8077-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The second national forest inventory - the most important points in brief
  2. ↑ Georg Meister, Monika Offenberger : The time of the forest - picture journey through the history and future of our forests . 2001, Frankfurt 2004, ISBN 3-86150-630-0 .