Carpinus and Quercus mesic deciduous woodland

These are deciduous broadleaved woodlands typical of free-draining to somewhat-strongly impeded brown earth soils and gleys of quite low, moderate to high base-status and moderate to high nutrient content across the lowlands and foothills of the temperate zone of western, central and southern Europe, with local extensions into regions of sub-Mediterranean, Pannonian and Boreal climate.  Partially this includes alluvial Quercus/ Carpinus-dominated forests in mountain valleys with infrequent indundation. The canopy is typically of mixed composition with oaks figuring prominently, notably Quercus robur and Q. petraea but with regional contributions from other oaks, along with Carpinus betulus, Fraxinus excelsior, F. angustifolia, Acer pseudoplatanus, A. campestre, A. platanoides, Ulmus glabra, Tilia cordata and T. tomentosa. Typically, Fagus sylvatica is at most a minor component here because it does not tolerate the stagnation in gley soils and is disadvantaged competitively, though transitions to more mesophilous and immature stands of free-draining G1.6a Fagus woodland on non-acid soils are quite common.  

The tree canopy can have a complex multi-layered structure (often much affected by sylviculture) but it casts a relatively light shade, so there is often a rich and extensive understorey of saplings, small trees, shrubs and lianes. Among the latter, Crataegus monogyna, C. laevigata, Corylus avellana, Euonymus europaeus, Viburnum opulus, Daphne mezereum, Lonicera xylosteum and Hedera helix are frequent throughout with other associates figuring according to regional or local climatic and edaphic conditions.  

The field layer too has a core of characteristic widely distributed hemicryptophytes and geophytes throughout the range with other contingents according to major climatic differences and local site conditions.  Viola reichenbachiana, Polygonatum multiflorum, Lamiastrum galeobdolon, Milium effusum, Campanula trachelium, Carex sylvatica, Pulmonaria obscura, P. officinalis, Scrophularia nodosa, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Galium odoratum, Poa nemoralis, Paris quadrifolia, Sanicula europaea, Adoxa moschatellina, Ranunculus auricomus, Arum maculatum are common throughout with Deschampsia cespitosa, Festuca gigantea, Stachys sylvatica, Circaea lutetiana, Impatiens noli-tangere and Athyrium filix-femina in moister situations.  There, too, especially where the soils are freshly aerated and more nutrient-rich, can be a striking vernal geophyte element with Ranunculus ficaria, Allium ursinum, Anemone nemorosa, Leucojum vernum and, in the Atlantic north-west, Hyacinthoides non-scripta. 

Within this broad frame, the geographic and climatic extremes can present rather striking contrasts.  To the Atlantic west, through Great Britain, Ireland and the foothills of northern Spain, Fraxinus excelsior can often exceed the oaks in its cover, is often accompanied by Ulmus glabra and, among the smaller trees of the understorey, Ilex aquifolium with Lonicera periclymenum a common liana.  Ferns such as Polystichum setiferum, P. aculeatum, Dryopteris filix-mas, D. affinis, Asplenium scolopendrium and A. trichomanes and a lush cover of bryophytes, especially bulky pleurocarpous mosses, reflect the humid atmosphere.  In northern Spain, Quercus ilex, Q. pyrenaica,  Laurus nobilis and Rhamnus alaternus in the canopy, Smilax aspera and Euphorbia peregrina as lianes and Helleborus viridis, Pulmonaria affinis and P. longifola among the herbs, reflect the warmer oceanic conditions adjacent to the sub-Mediterranean zone. 

Towards the east of its range, this habitat grades into the lime-oak woodlands which extend far into the Russian lowlands.  In the transitional types, Tilia cordata becomes more important in the canopy, along with occasional T. tomentosa, and Q. polycarpa and Q. dalechampii can figure among the oaks.  Further south, extending from the foothills of Austria, through Slovenia, into the Balkans, the flora has a distinct Illyrian aspect with Quercus cerris, Q. frainetto, Carpinus orientalis, Fraxinus ornus and a large contingent of herbs among which Epimedium alpinum, Erythronium dens-canis, Hellebrous dumetorum ssp. atrorubens, Knautia drymeia, Cyclamen purpurescens, Staphyles pinnata and Helleborus odorus are the most frequent.

Indicators of good quality:

• Typical structure and composition of canopy: High forest stands should have a complex composition with a mixed age structure, well-developed understorey and active regeneration but diverse patterns of exploitation mean that there are numerous other quality states for this habitat and this also affects the kinds of regeneration that can occur.
• Typical flora and fauna composition of the region
• Presence of old trees and a variety of dead wood (lying and standing) and the associated flora, fauna and fungi
• Presence of mosaics of developmental stages including gaps
• Sufficient proportion of historically old (ancient) woodland with high species diversity
• Survival of larger stands of forest without fragmentation and isolation
• Absnce of non-native tree species and absence of invasive aliens in all layers (fauna, flora).
• No eutrophication and pronounced invasion of nutrient-demanding herbs due to eutrophication from atmospheric deposition or ground-water enrichment

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats