38G3

G. Forests

Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce) forests

Relationships with habitat classifications. EUNIS: G3.623 Rila and Pirin Macedonian pine forests, G3.624 Rhodope Macedonian pine forests, G3.625 Balkan Macedonian pine forests; PAL. CLASS.: 42.723 Rila and Pirin Macedonian pine forest, 42.724 Rhodopi Macedonian pine forest, 42.725 Balkan Macedonian pine forest); HD 92/43: 95A0 High oro-Mediterranean pine forests; Bondev (1991): 10 Balkan pine (Pineta peucis) forests, partly with coenoses of Pineta mugi, 11 Mixed Mediterranean pine (Pinus peuce) and Silver pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests.

Conservation status. BDA, BC, HD.

Category. Endangered [EN – A1, 2 B2 C2 E2 F2 G2 H2 I L3].

General characteristics. The Macedonian pine is a Balkan endemic and a Tertiary relic. It makes monodominant or mixed coenoses mainly near the timberline in the high mountains of Bulgaria (1800–1900 to 2100–2200 m alt.). The species itself occurs within a large vertical range from 1150 up to 2500 m alt. The Macedonian pine is rather tolerant to the abiotic factors of its environment. Its ecological characteristics are mainly between these of the Scots pine and the spruce. The coenoses occur mainly on silicate but the species can grow also on limestone and marble. The darcolored forest sois (Mollic Cambisols) prevail and rarely - the humus carbonate soils (Rendzic) or brown forest soils (Cambisols). The slope exposure is of no significance. In Pirin and to a smaller extent in Rila Mts. the Macedonian pine outlines the upper timberline on slopes with different exposures. The fact that Pinus peuce is the tree species best adapted to grow on areas covered by large rock pieces is very important. In its pioneer forest coenoses there is no soil, even such belonging to the Rankers type. In such conditions some of the phytocoenoses have a maximum projective cover of the tree layer that consists only of Pinus peuce. The soil and the ground vegetation layers consisting of shrubs and herbs, with mosses, Dwarf pine and Siberian juniper (in ligher places) develop in later stages. The phytocoenoses of the Macedonian pine develop on soils with different depth and humidity. However, in most of the cases, the soils are well developed, deep, moderately rich in minerals and organic substances, permanently humid and well aerated. As a rule the soils are very stony, which is an evidence that the Macedonian pine forests are at an advanced succession stage and are in stony areas that are already covered by  vegetation. The soils are drier and poorer on limestone and marble.

Almost all communities of the Macedonian pine are of primary origin and highly productive. The monodominant phytocoenoses are less than the ones with the participation of other three species, mainly spruce and Scots pine in different quantity ratio. Mixed forests with Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica, Pinus heldreichii, occur mainly at lower altitudes. Shrubs of dwarf pine occur in some places in the understory of these forests. The ground layers vary mainly in terms of the abundance of certain species from one and the same group and this depends on the density of the tree layer. The main species are Calamagrostis arundinacea, Luzula sylvatica, Moehringia pendula, Vaccinium myrtillus. Euphorbia amygdaloides, Deschampsia flexuosa, Melampyrum sylvaticum have a more limited abundance. Frequent are Luzula luzuloides, Oxalis acetosella (rarely dominating), Vaccinium uliginosum, Geranium macrorrhizum (dominating in some of the early stages of the coenoses development in the large stones areas), Festuca valida, Festuca penzesii, Sesleria coerulans (in coenoses with rare tree layers, the latter two species occurring only in Pirin Mts. on limestone and marble). The floristic composition of these phytocoenoses is very rich with more than 120 species.

The communities of the Macedonian pine make complexes with shrub and herbaceous coenoses at the border with the Dwarf pine zone in the high mountains. Probably not all are a result of an anthropogenic pressure. There are also natural transitions between the tree vegetation and the higher-altitude coenoses of the dwarf pine (Pinus mugo), Siberian juniper (Juniperus sibirica), Festuca valida and other coenoses from the upper subalpine belt.

The Macedonian pine occurs in Rhodopi Mts. in several places but it does not form its own communities there. It is possible that the species used to be more widely distributed in the past, even dominating the coenoses, but as a result of anthropogenic activities they have been destroyed. The phytocoenoses of the Macedonian pine occupy the northern slope of Vezhen peak in the Balkan Range. The area covered by these coenoses is not large; it used to be larger in the past. The floristic composition and the structure of the plant communities do not differ much from the one of the coenoses in Rila and Pirin Mts.

Artificially created coenoses of the Macedonian pine occur in Vitosha Mts. and they are in relatively good condition. Most probably the Macedonian pine forests were destroyed by men in this mountain. The syntaxonomy of the coenoses of the Macedonian pine in Bulgaria has been studied only according to the dominant method. The occurrence of typical species such as Gentiana lutea, Knautia midzorensis, Verbascum longifolium subsp. pannosum and the total floristic composition of some of the coenoses supports the statement that the association Gentiano luteae-Pinetum peucis occurs in Bulgaria. It has been described from the Pelister Mts. in R Macedonia. The characteristic species for the alliance Pinion peucis endemic to the Balkan Peninsula occur in all Bulgarian coenoses of Macedonian pine.

Characteristic taxa.

Distribution in Bulgaria. Mainly in Rila and Pirin Mts. and to a more limited extent in the Balkan Range, Vitosha and Rhodopi Mts. The species occurs from 1150 up to 2500 m alt., and the coenoses dominated by it occur between (1500) 1800–1900 and 2100–2200 m alt.

Conservation importance. The coenoses of the Macedonian pine are very important as a wood resource, for water and soil protection, for recreation and for the maintenance of biodiversity. Some fungi species of conservation importance also occur, such as Clitocybe vermicularis, Phellinus nigrolimatus, Suillus sibiricus.

Threats. The extremely aggressive anthropogenic pressure in the past. The areas covered by the Macedonian pine have been destroyed by fires and logging and this process continues today as well. Phytocoenoses that have not been affected by human activities no longer exist.

Conservation measures taken. The habitat is included in Annex № 1 of BDA. Large localities of the habitat are within Rila, Pirin and Central Balkan National Parks and in sites of the European Ecological Network NATURA 2000.

Conservation measures needed. Monitoring of the habitat state and strict implementation of the legal documents and regimes for the national parks and the regulations for nature-friendly forest management.

References. Velchev 1973; Velchev & Roussakova 1990; Dimitrov 1980; Penev & Georgiev 1958.

Author: Veska Roussakova


Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce) forests (distribution map)