Mediterranean evergreen Quercus woodland

This woodland habitat is naturally dominated by evergreen oaks with associated broadleaved sclerophyllous and lauriphyllous evergreen trees and shrubs adapted to the summer drought of the thermo-mediterranean climate. Stands have been modified in various degrees due to long histories of exploitation, clearance and regrowth, as well as by natural disturbance from fires, disease and insect infestation, interventions which affect both the structure and species composition of stands. Transitional degraded stages  of these woodlands to maquis and garrigues, are widespread throughout the distribution area of the habitat; in some regions there are transitions to the savannah-like vegetation of dehesas (Spain) or montado (Portugal) (Annex I habitat type 6310: Dehesas with evergreen Quercus), where the underlying vegetation can be largely unshaded pasture quite different from the associated flora of this woodland. In representative stands of this habitat, the tree canopy can be up to 15m (or more) high,  although it is often lower; the layer beneath the oaks tree canopy typically consists of other sclerophyllous or lauriphyllous species, as well as few deciduous tree and shrub species. Different dominants and co-dominants and associates prevail in different regions and on different terrains; Q. ilex is the most widespread oak in these woodlands largely occurring on base-rich substrata throughout the meso-Mediterranean altitudinal belt. Quercus ilex subsp. ilex occurring from northern and western Iberia through France to the Adriatic region and Greece is the dominant species and the deciduous oak species Q. pubescens participant at the tree layer; Pinus halepensis is also a component of these woods in the Balkan peninsula localities. Q. ilex subsp. rotundifolia is extensive in Portugal and Spain in rather drier sites and more common in dehesas. Quercus coccifera is also widespread and often replaces Q. ilex around the Aegean, dominating in distinctive woodlands of Crete but elsewhere is less common in woodlands and mostly dominates maquis vegetation derived both from evergreen oak woodlands and thermophilous broadleaved woodlands. Q. alnifolia also dominates in some distinctive woodlands of Cyprus. Q. suber is primarily a western Mediterranean tree demanding moister climatic conditions than other evergreen oaks (500-1000mm annual precipitation) and can replace Q. ilex on more acidic and less fertile soils. Quercus suber is mainly distributed in Spain and Portugal and extends eastwards to a coastal belt in southern Italy; Q. suber has been of great commercial interest for its cork bark and acorns being a subsidiary crop used for feeding pigs. In cases that the evergreen oak woodlands occur on coastal dunes throughout the Mediterranean zone, these are considered part of the EUNIS habitat B1.7b: Mediterranean wooded dunes with Quercus spp.

Indicators of quality:

• No forest exploitations, especially in sub-type dominated by Q. suber no cork harvesting and forest management for ecological improvement purposes
• Natural composition of canopy
• 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)
• No man-induced very high population levels of ungulates

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats