Title
Northeast pre-Carpathian sessile oak-hornbeam forests (Carpinus betulus, Quercus petraea, Quercus robur) with Fagus sylvatica, with Aposeris foetida
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Ukraine: northeast pre-Carpathian region; southeast Poland: border region to Ukraine; north Romania: border region to Ukraine
area frequency
9 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Carici pilosae-Carpinetum Neuhäusl & Neuhäuslová-Novotná 1964 p.p. This unit shows a regional formation od the submontane form of the south Polish-pre-Carpathian race of the Tilio-Carpinetum (F42b), marked by Aposeris foetida and by its especially rich occurrence of Carex pilosa.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Dense, shady forests with a two-layered tree layer (canopy closure 90-100 %). The upper tree layer is 20-32 m, and the lower 14-22 m tall. The shrub layer is very open or is absent. The herb layer is well developed (40-60 % degree of coverage); the moss layer is developed very weakly or absent. The appearance of beech and montane species is characteristic for the submontane form.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus petraea, Quercus robur, Acer platanoides, Fagus sylvatica, Carpinus betulus, Tilia cordata, Prunus avium, in degraded or pioneer-stands also Betula pendula
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Daphne mezereum, Lonicera xylosteum, Cornus sanguinea, Euonymus europaea, Euonymus verrucosa, Rubus hirtus
Herb layer
Carex pilosa (often dominating), Aposeris foetida, Aegopodium podagraria, Anemone nemorosa, Galium odoratum, Asarum europaeum, Stellaria holostea, Pulmonaria obscura, Polygonatum multiflorum, Sanicula europaea, Convallaria majalis, Hepatica nobilis, Lamium galeobdolon, Cardamine bulbifera (scattered), Ajuga reptans, Milium effusum, Polygonatum verticillatum, Doronicum austriacum, Maianthemum bifolium, Oxalis acetosella, Luzula pilosa; in moist formations: Athyrium filix-femina, Anemone ranunculoides, Corydalis cava, Equisetum sylvaticum, Festuca gigantea, Ranunculus ficaria subsp. bulbilifer
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
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Diagnostically important species
Quercus petraea, Carpinus betulus, Fagus sylvatica; Aposeris foetida, Carex pilosa, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Equisetum sylvaticum, Doronicum austriacum, Polygonatum verticillatum
Ecological variants
Mainly typical, fresh-soil form; on particularly rich and moist sites a geophyte-rich form with Allium ursinum, Anemone ranunculoides, Corydalis cava, Equisetum sylvaticum, Festuca gigantea, Ranunculus ficaria etc.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
At higher altitudes the role of montane species increases and there are transitions to beech forests (F125). In Transcarpathia the sub-Mediterranean species Sorbus torminalis and Viburnum lantana occasionally occur.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
East pre-Carpathian brizoides pedunculate oak forests; small occurrences of Ukrainian-central Russian sedge fens.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
mixed oak-hornbeam forests (F41, F42a, F44, F62), species-rich beech forests (F125, F135), forest steppes (L2), alluvial forests (U9, U11, U16).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Hornbeam coppice forest, spruce forestry.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows and pastures (Cynosurion, Arrhenatherion elatioris).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Orchards, flax and rye fields.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
The landscape is only sparsely populated; the ruderal communities have hardly been studied.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Hilly landscape in the Carpathian foothills
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
colline, submontane; 250-550(650) m
Geology (bedrock)
eolian sediments (bluff formation; Pleistocene above Tertiary); partly also flysch
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
base-rich brown soils, parabrown soils, partly weakly podzolized or gleyed (lessivée); (gleyic and orthic luvisols; eutric podzoluvisols; stony dystric cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, locally periodically moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to weakly acidic
soil fertility
meso- to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI1, VI(VII)1
average annual temperature
6-8 EC
average annual precipitation
650-750 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 17-19 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
January -5 to -3 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
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Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Foothill forests with a water and soil protecting function; formerly influenced greatly by forestry (sometimes spruce plantations).
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
More rare species: Galanthus nivalis, Crocus vernus subsp. vernus, Neottia nidus-avis, Listera ovata, Epipactis helleborine, Epipactis purpurata, Platanthera chlorantha.
causes of endangerment
Clearing, timber harvesting, agricultural use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Naturally oriented forest management.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Ukraine: 100-140 year old stands in the region of „ernovcy, Cotin east of „ernovcy, Ivano-Frankovsk, Kaluš north of Ivano-Frankovsk.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bradis (Red.) 1977; Povarnicyn (Red.) 1954
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by Ju.R. Šeljag-Sosonko, completed by M. Matuszkiewicz
