Temperate mountain Abies woodland

Abies alba is a conifer of central and southern Europe where it occupies an intermediate position between Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies, both geographically favouring climates that are only moderately continental, and altitudinally. In areas where both fir and spruce are present, it rarely dominates in a belt between forests of beech and fir, but more often occurs intermixed with these two trees, here especially with beech towards the sub-montane limits of the occurrence of this woodland type. These fir and fir-beech forests are most extensive in the mountain ranges of western and central France, the Black Forest, the Swiss Alps, Austria and the Carpathians, with outliers in the Pyrenees, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, the Balkans, occurring on usually base-poor soils but extending also on to more base-rich and mesotrophic profiles where distinctive contingents of associates occur, especially in the field layer. Abies temperate moutain woodlands can also be found in Corsica, Italy (mainland) and reaches the north of Greece. Though located in mountain near the mediteranean belt, those fir forests do not correspond to the Mediteranean Abies mountain (see G3.1c) type (with A. Cephalonica...). The dominant trees here are Fir or mixtures of Fir, Spruce and Beech. Except in the Pyrenees, Massif central and most parts of the Vosges (where it is alien), Picea abies can also occur, particularly where site conditions are harsher, and it has been very widely planted in preference to Abies. Other broadleaves can occur, notably Acer pseudoplatanus, A, platanoides Betula pendula, Populus tremula, Sorbus aucuparia, Quercus robur (towards the sub-montane zone), and, in more Atlantic regions like the Pyrenees, Massif central, the Vosges and the Black Forest, where this kind of woodland is most extensive, Ilex aquifolium. In the Balkans and northern Greece, A. borisii-regis and Fagus moesiaca replace Abies alba, and Acer heldreichii and A. obtusatum occur among the associates in this woodland at its southern limit among xerothermic oak forests. Towards the upper mountain or sub-alpine zone, Abies alba dominates, expecially where Picea abies is absent. On acidic soils, the flora resembles that of the heathy spruce forests and Picea abies can be quite abundant, along with Pinus sylvestris. Saplings of the canopy trees are often the most abundant element of the understorey with Vaccinium myrtillus, V. vitis-idaea, Deschampsia flexuosa, Dryopteris carthusiana, D. dilatatae, Luzula luzuloides, L. nivea, L. sylvatica, Listera cordata, Maianthemum bifolium, Oxalis acetosella, Hieracium murorum in the field layer, together with bulky mosses such as Polytrichum formosum, Dicranum scoparium, Hylocomnium splendens and Pleurozium schreberi. At the sub-alpine zone, the flora is very close to the flora of sub-alpine spruce forests, with Homogyne alpina, Rhododendron ferrugineum, Sphagnum div. sp., Lycopodium annotinum, Bazzania trilobata, Rhytidiadelphus loreus… On less impoverished and moister soils, Abies alba often dominates more substantially with Fraxinus excelsior and Ulmus glabra figuring among the canopy trees, Rubus idaeus, R. fruticosus and Lonicera nigra in the understorey. Galium rotundifolium, Oxalis acetosella, Prenanthes purpurea, Sanicula europaea, Mercurialis perennis, Crepis paludosa, Chaerophyllum hirsutum, Adenostyles glabra, Valeriana tripteris, Carex alba, C. digitata, Cirsium erisithales can occur in the field layer. Like Spruce mountain forest, fir forests can also be found at lower altitudes (among beech forests) on rocks or peat.

Indicators of quality:

Spruce forestry is very widely practiced in the zone where this kind of woodland is the natural dominant, so signs of quality are:

• Natural dominance of fir and/or mixed dominance of fir, spruce and beech with canopy and understorey associates appropriate to the soil conditions and region
• Mixed age structure of canopy with natural regeneration of the dominant trees -
• Presence of old trees, a variety of dead wood (lying and standing) and trees with microhabitats (hollows, cracks, broken tops...), and the associated flora, fauna and fungi
• Presence of natural disturbance such as windfall openings with natural regeneration -
• Sufficient proportion of historically old (ancient) woodland with high species diversity
• Absence of anthropogenic invaders with disturbance of forestry operations 
• Absence of non-native tree species and absence of invasive aliens in all layers (fauna, flora) 
• No signs of eutrophication or pollution with e.g. pronounced invasion on nutrient-demanding herbs

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats