Title
Moesian fir-beech forests (Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba), partly with Picea abies, with Doronicum columnae
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Yugoslavia: Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo; Bosnia-Herzegovina: border to Serbia; Macedonia: border to Serbia; Bulgaria: Stara Planina
area frequency
12 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Abieti-Fagetum moesiacum B. Jovanoviƒ 1953.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Mostly two-layered fir-beech forests with additions of maple species; a weakly developed shrub layer; the herb and moss layer are populated mainly by basiphilous and neutrophilous species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Fagus sylvatica subsp. sylvatica, Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Abies alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Acer heldreichii, Acer hyrcanum, Sorbus aucuparia, locally Picea abies
Shrub layer
Sambucus racemosa, Daphne mezereum, Spiraea media, Sorbus mougeotii, Euonymus latifolia, Lonicera xylosteum
Herb layer
Indicators of acidity: Luzula sylvatica subsp. sylvatica, Luzula luzuloides, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Vaccinium myrtillus; Fagetalia and further species: Prenanthes purpurea, Saxifraga rotundifolia, Geranium macrorrhizum, Cardamine enneaphyllos, Festuca drymeja, Scrophularia scopolii; Sanicula europaea, Dryopteris filix-mas, Oxalis acetosella
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Eurhynchium striatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Polytrichum formosum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Dicranum scoparium, Pleurozium schreberi
Diagnostically important species
Fagus sylvatica subsp. moesiaca, Abies alba, Acer heldreichii, Acer heldreichii subsp. macropterum, Acer hyrcanum; Doronicum columnae, Primula veris subsp. columnae, Campanula abietina, Campanula rapunculoides, Pimpinella serbica, Lactuca aurea, Lathyrus laxiflorus, Luzula sylvatica, Dryopteris filix-mas, Geranium macrorrhizum, Sanicula europaea
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Kopaonik-Jastrebac-Stara Planina strain with Cardamine trifolia, Campanula abietina, Corylus colurna; Macedonian-Kosovan strain with Calamintha grandiflora.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Fagetum montanum serpentinicum, Fagetum subalpinum serbicum, Calamintho grandiflorae-Fagetum, Aceri heldreichii-Fagetum, Fago-Aceretum visianii, Aceri-Ostryo-Fagetum, Seslerio rigidae-Fagetum, Seslerio-Ostryo-Fagetum, Seslerio autumnalis-Fagetum moesiacae, Aceri obtusati-Fagetum moesiacae, Ostryo-Quercetum petraea serpentinicum, Quercetum montanum, Piceetum montanum, Pinetum peucis, Pinetum heldreichii.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine grassland (B54), Alpine rose-dwarf pine shrub (C38), krummholz scrubs (C39), Balkan spruce forests D38, D40), Moesian oak-hornbeam forests (F66, F67), species-poor (F89, F103) and species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F122, F123, F124, F152), thermophilous oak forests (G9, G18, G19, G22, G23), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G59), xerophytic pine forests (K13).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies forestry, Betula pendula and Populus tremula pioneer trees; Pteridium aquilinum stands.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meagre lawn: Sileno-Festucetum fallacis, Nardetum strictae, Potentillo-Caricetum humilis, Anthyllidi-Seslerietum rigidae.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Potatoes.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Rumex pseudoalpinus, Stellaria nemorum communities.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
mountains with slopes of a moderate to a steep inclination and different exposure
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
montane to altimontane; (400)500-1700 m
Geology (bedrock)
granodiorites, quarzdiorites, granites (Palaeozoic); acidic, base-rich Tertiary-rocks
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic, base-rich brown soils and parabrown soils; (stony dystric and eutric cambisols; chromic luvisols)
soil texture
loamy, often stony
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to periodically moist
soil reaction
moderately to weakly acidic
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2a, VI2b, X
average annual temperature
4-8EC
average annual precipitation
650-900 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 14-16EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -3 to -1 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Precipitation predominately in the growth period, relatively high air moisture during the whole year.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
No details
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
The forests in Bulgaria play a significant soil protecting roll.
causes of endangerment
Clearing, grazing, transformation into coniferous plantations.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Bulgaria: nature reserve „uprene, Orlov kaman, Gornata kurija, National park Sisoego.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Blečić 1958; Bondev 1991; Em 1962; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Jovanović 1955a; Jovanović 1955b; Kočev 1969; Marinov, Nedjalkov & Naumov 1961; Mišić & Popović 1954; Mišić & Popović 1955; Mišić et al. 1978; Penev 1956; Radkov 1961; Radkov 1963
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by M. Zupan…i… and I. Bondev, revised by U. Bohn
