Fagus woodland on acid soils

Within the climatic zone where Fagus sylvatica is able to maintain dominance over other broadleaved trees, this habitat includes those beech woodlands which occur on impoverished, free-draining, base-poor rankers, acid brown earths and podzols developed from silicate bedrocks and sandy or gravelly superficial deposits. They extend from the Atlantic zone in Great Britain, France and Northern Spain, through Central Europe into the Continental zone and, in northern Italy and the Balkans into the Alpine region. Typically, Fagus sylvatica is overwhelmingly dominant (often ssp. moesiaca in the mid and eastern Balkans), when growing well forming a tall, cathedral-like canopy in which associates are few: Quercus petraea and less commonly Q. robur throughout the range, with Q. pyrenaica in the south-west and Castanea sativa in the west and south. In the Atlantic zone, Ilex aquifolium is a common understorey tree. Pinus sylvestris can be present at low altitudes, especially on shallow soils on siliceous rocks. At higher altitudes, Acer pseudoplatanus can occur, A. heldreichii in the Balkans and, towards the altitudinal limits of this woodland type, Abies alba and Picea abies in transitions to G3.1b and G3.1c mountain fir woodlands. The field layer is typically species-poor and often sparse, comprising shade-tolerant grasses and herbs and a few bryophytes. Commonest among these are Deschampsia flexuosa, Agrostis capillaris, Carex pilulifera, Oxalis acetosella, Maianthemum bifolium, Luzula pilosa, Vaccinium myrtillus, Pteridium aquilinum, Polytrichum formosum, Dicranella heteromalla, Dicranum scoparium, Mnium hornum and Hypnum cupressiforme. Generally, across the lowlands, Melampyrum pratense is characteristic with, towards the north-western Atlantic, Ruscus aculeatus, Lonicera periclymenum, Teucrium scorodonia, Hypericum pulchrum, Blechnum spicant, towards the south-west in the Massif Central, Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains, Euphorbia angulata, E. hyberna, Saxifraga hirsuta, S. spathularis and Luzula sylvatica spp. henriquesii. L. nivea and L. pedemontana occur in Insubria and Piedmont and Festuca drymeja in Illyria and the Carpathians. In the European lowlands, mixed Fagus-Quercus robur forests with this field layer should also be included under these Fagus woodlands. At higher altitudes, Dryopteris dilatata, Festuca altissima, Prenanthes purpurea, Luzula luzuloides, L. sylvatica, Senecio ovatus and S. nemorensis occur with, in mountain stands, Polygonatum verticillatum, Calamagrostis villosa and Homogyne alpina. Apart from the altitudinal variation from lowlands to higher altitudes, there is a broad range of different ecological situations in climatic and soil moisture conditions, ranging from relatively dry conditions with Carex pilulifera, Hieracium glaucinum or complete moss layers of Leucrobryum glaucum s.l. to humid conditions with ferns like Dryopteris filix-mas and Athyrium filix-femina. In relatively wet conditions species such as Frangula alnus, Lysimachia vulgaris occur, sometimes Molinia caerulea agg. can be dominant or if temporarily wet conditions prevail also Carex brizoides. Especially in subatlantic and atlantic conditions dominant species in the herb layer can be Pteridium aquilinum.

Indicators of quality:

Through the lowlands, this habitat has been widely converted to dwarf-shrub heaths for stock rearing and, later, partially re-afforestation with pine and spruce. At higher altitudes, there has been widespread replacement by conifer plantations (Picea spp., Pseudotsuga menziesii etc). High quality stands should show:

• Natural composition of canopy with dominant beech trees

• Structural diversity/ complexity with (semi)natural age structure or completeness of layers

• Typical flora and fauna composition of the region

• Presence of old trees and a variety of dead wood (lying or standing) and the associated flora, fauna and fungi

• Presence of natural disturbance such as treefall openings with natural regeneration

• Long historical continuity (ancient woodland) with high species diversity

• Survival of larger stands of forest without anthropogenic fragmentation and isolation (to support fauna which need large undisturbed forests) • Absence of non-native species in all layers (flora & fauna)

• No signs of eutrophication (e.g. with the spread of shade-tolerant nitrophiles) or pollution

• No signs of acidification

• No man-induced very high population levels of ungulates

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats