Title
Albanian-Macedonian black pine forests (Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana), partly with Pinus heldreichii, Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica, with Daphne blagayana on ophiolite rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Albania; north-west Greece: Pindos, Vermion, Pieria, Olymp
area frequency
21 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Staehelino-Pinetum pallasianae Grebenščikov 1956 ex Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974, Seslerio robustae-Pinetum pallasianae Barbéro & Quézel 1976 corr. Bergmeier 1990, Trifolio alpestris-Pinetum Gamisans & Hebrard 1979.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered, light, 10-15 m tall black pine forests with dominant Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana; well developed shrub and herb layers where the latter is dominated by Sesleria robusta with many chamaephytes.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana, Pinus heldreichii, Abies alba, Abies borisii-regis, rarely Quercus frainetto, Quercus dalechampii (not in Albania)
Shrub layer
Chamaecytisus polytrichus, Daphne blagayana, Daphne oleoides, Staehelina uniflosculosa, Juniperus communis, Juniperus oxycedrus, Berberis cretica, Crataegus orientalis, Crataegus monogyna, Sideritis syriaca, Genista carinalis
Herb layer
Ferulago sylvatica, Potentilla micrantha, Sesleria robusta, Doronicum orientale, Silene multicaulis, Aremonia agrimonoides; Sesleria coerulans, Festuca paniculata, Heracleum sphondylium subsp. sphondylium
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Scleropodium purum, Dicranum scoparium
Diagnostically important species
Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana; Chamaecytisus polytrichus; Sesleria robusta, Ferulago sylvatica, Sesleria coerulans
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Yet to be charted in Greece; in Albania without Quercus dalechampii, Daphne blagayana, Berberis cretica, Doronicum orientale.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Beech forests, Balkan pine forests, Buxus sempervirens scrub.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine grasslands (B55), evergreen scrubs (C40), pine forests (D63), oak-hornbeam forests (F66), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F143, F154, F155, F156), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19), Balkan oak forests (G26, G28), Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G57), holm oak forests (J22), Balkan pine forests (K6).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pinus nigra plantations.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Grazing-conditioned Juniperus communis-Buxus sempervirens scrub.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
moderately high mountainous locations, slopes and hilltops.
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
submontane to altimontane
Geology (bedrock)
limestone, ophiolite rocks (serpentine); (Tertiary, Cretaceous; Palaeozoic, Precambrian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soils, ranker; (rendzic leptosols; stony calcaric regosols; (stony) chromic luvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
dry
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV4, IV(VI), X
average annual temperature
5-12 °C
average annual precipitation
550-700 mm; (1300-1800 mm Albania)
average temperature of the warmest month
18-22 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-3 to 1 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
mountain climate, partly snow-rich, locally dry, exposed to insolation.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Surviving forests often grazed through; semi-natural stands are worthy of protection.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
species worthy of protection: Daphne blagayana.
causes of endangerment
Timber cutting, fire, grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
Cessation of timber cutting, fires and grazing.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Mountains in north-west Greece: Theassalian Olymp, Kato Olimbos, Smolikas, Timfi, Pieria.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Barbéro & Quézel 1976; Bergmeier 1990; Gamisans & Hebrard 1979; Habeck & Reif 1994; Hoda 1989; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by H. Wagner, completed by Th. Raus, J. Vangjeli, E. Bergmeier
