D32: West Caucasian fir, spruce-fir and beech-fir forests (Abies nordmanniana, Picea orientalis, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis) with evergreen understorey (Rhododendron ponticum, Prunus laurocerasus, Ilex colchica), often alternating with Oriental beech forests (Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis)

Title

West Caucasian fir, spruce-fir and beech-fir forests (Abies nordmanniana, Picea orientalis, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis) with evergreen understorey (Rhododendron ponticum, Prunus laurocerasus, Ilex colchica), often alternating with Oriental beech forests (Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis)

Geographical distribution

Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)

Piceeta rhododendrosa, Piceeto-Abieta rhododendrosa, Abieta rhododendrosa, Fageto-Abieta rhododendrosa, Piceeta laurocerasosa, Piceeto-Abieta laurocerasosa, Fageto-Abieta laurocerasosa, Piceeta ilicitosa, Piceeto-Abieta ilicitosa, Abieta ilicitosa, Fageto-Abieta ilicitosa, Piceeto-Abieta magnovacciniosa, Abieta magnovacciniosa, Fageto-Abieta magnovacciniosa (Doluchanov, 1989); Abieti-Fagion orientalis Korotkov & Belanovskaja 1987, Ilici colchicae-Abietetum nordmannianae Korotkov & Belonovskaja 1987.

Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)

Long-stemmed, variously aged mountain range coniferous forests, often with oriental beech in the second tree layer. Height of the upper tree layer is 25-45 (50) m, and the lower tree layer with beech about 3-8 m lower. The older tree generation is 200-300 years old (maximum age of fir and spruce is 450-500 years, maximum height of 65-67 m and for beech 50-52 m). In the mapping unit beech-fir, spruce-fir and pure spruce forests dominate. Beech-spruce-fir forests are rarer, and pure spruce and beech-spruce forests are even rarer; on lithic debris and on rock slopes spruce-pine forests (Pinus kochiana) can also occur. In places the undergrowth features evergreen hemiprostrate shrubs (Rhododendron ponticum, Rhododendron ungernii, Prunus laurocerasus, Ilex colchica). Amongst the summer-green shrubs include Rhododendron luteum, Vaccinium arctostaphylos and Viburnum orientale. Rubus species (R. caucasicus, R. platyphyllos etc.) are frequent. The herb layer is usually lacking in species and interspersed, except in herb-rich open forests in the upper regions of the forest belt. European-Caucasian species predominate.

Dominant and most frequent species in different layers

Diagnostically important species

Abies nordmanniana, Picea orientalis, Fagus sylvatica subsp. orientalis; Prunus laurocerasus, Ilex colchica, Rhododendron ponticum, Rhododendron ungernii, Vaccinium arctostaphylos; Ranunculus cappadocicus, Galium rotundifolium, Cardamine impatiens subsp. pectinata, Lilium kesselringianum, Prenanthes purpurea, Prenanthes abietina, Inula magnifica

Ecological variants

tall herb-rich, fern-rich and moist formation types.

Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)

at higher locations with subalpine species: Acer trautvetteri, Sorbus aucuparia, Sorbus subfusca, Rhamnus imeretina, Ribes biebersteinii, Milium schmidtianum, Gentiana schistocalyx, Valeriana alliariifolia, Adenostyles platyphylloides, Cicerbita petiolata, Prenanthes abietina, Senecio pojarkovae. At the headwaters of the rivers Ingura, Cchenisckali and Rioni the fir declines, and in places is completely absent. In the spruce and pine spruce forests prevailing there "boreal" species are typical: Goodyera repens, Listera cordata, Orthilia secunda, Moneses uniflora, Monotropa hypopitys, Pyrola media, Pyrola minor; in the moss layer there is Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum scoparium and Hylocomium splendens amongst others. In the basins of the left tributaries of the middle courses of the Ingura and in the Cheledula basin (tributary of the Cchenisckali) there are coniferous and beech coniferous forests with dominant Luzula sylvatica that is absent from the remaining areas of this mapping unit. In the south-west Colchis, in the climatically moister coastal mountains of Adjaria and Guria, forests with Colchic endemics: Rhododendron ungernii, Epigaea gaultherioides, Betula medwediewii, Quercus pontica.

Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)

Beech forests, Caucasian pine forests, Betula litwinowii open forests, scrub with Prunus, Rhododendron luteum, Rhododendron caucasicum etc.; Rock forest complexes with rock vegetation.

Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)

alpine grasslands (B56), krummholz and open woodlands (C42, C45), fir and mixed fir forests (D33), pine forests (D64), Oriental beech forests (F163, F164), Caucasian oak forests (F169, F170), steppes (M4).

Land use, substitute communities

Site conditions of the mapping unit

Importance for nature protection

Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection

Most important references (author, year)

Doluchanov 1964a; Doluchanov 1964b; Doluchanov 1989; Doluchanov, Sachokia & Charadze 1946; Nachucrišvili 1999; Orlov 1951; Sokolov 1936; Ssorin 1951; Ssorin & Ejchel’berger 1956

Compiled by

Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by A.G. Doluchanov, completed by N. Zazanašvili