Beech Forests

The southernmost beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests of Europe (Mount Etna, Italy): ecology, structural stand-type diversity and management implications

“…However, multi-stemmed or very limited height growth of Fagus, as well as Notofagus, stands can be found all around the world under natural stress, due to the latitude and/ or altitude limits (Peters 1997;Barrera et al 2000;Cuevas 2002). Both dry Mediterranean and cool montane climates seem to be favourable for sprouting in European beech (Mormiche 1981;Papalexandris & Milios 2010).…”

“…The European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is one of the most important tree species of Europe, considering its distribution area and forest cover (Bohn et al 2000), the variability in forest coenosis (Peters 1997;Rodwell et al 2002), the forest types (Larsson 2001;Barbati et al 2006), and the diversity in forest stand structures and management practices (Peters 1997;Larsson 2001;Del Favero 2008;Nocentini 2009;Wagner et al 2010;Ziaco et al 2012).…”

Combined LM and SEM study of the middle Miocene (Sarmatian) palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin, Austria: part IV. Magnoliophyta 2 – Fagales to Rosales

“…Dominant and common genera in these forests are the various members of the northern hemispheric Fagales, which are represented by 23 different lineages at the Lavanttal site. The most important taxa for palaeovegetation and climate reconstruction are Fagus, a genus with a relatively narrow climatic and ecological niche and one of the most dominant genera in mixed mesophytic forests of North America, China and Japan (Maycock 1994;Cao 1995;Peters 1997), and Quercus Group Ilex, a co-dominant group in the East Asian monsoon influenced, winter-dry or fully humid southern foothills of the Himalayas and montane regions of south-western and central China (Huang et al 1999; see also distribution maps in Fang et al 2009). Equally informative is Corylus, with a similar ecological and climatic niche as Fagus, and the co-occurrence of Carya, Juglans, Pterocarya and Engelhardioideae, pinpointing towards rich mixed evergreen-broad leaved forests as today only found in south-western China (Fang et al 2009) and the warm subtropical parts of the southeastern United States (see distribution maps in Thompson et al 1999aThompson et al , 1999bThompson et al , 2001eFloras 2008).…”

“…-Fagus is a small tree genus consisting of two distinct putative subgenera, subgenus Fagus (seven species) and subgenus Engleriana (three species) with a northern hemispheric distribution (Shen 1992;Denk 2003;. Fagus is an important component of mixed broadleaved evergreen-deciduous forest in North America and East Asia, and it is the most prominent broadleaved forest tree in Europe and western Asia (Zhou & Li 1994;Peters 1997).…”

“…Fagus is one of the most ecologically and climatically indicative tree genera of the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere (Köppen 1936;Peters 1997;Grimm & Denk 2012); all three widespread and common species or species-complexes, F. grandifolia Ehrh. in eastern North America (northern Mexico to southern Canada), F. sylvatica L.…”