L'abies alba Mill. in Montenegro

Distribution of silver fir (Abies alba ssp. illyrica) in the dinaric region

by Pavle Cikovac

Summary of the distributon of silver fir forests in the Dinaric mountain system:
Silver fir is found in the montane – mountain zone (500-1800m - the former in the north the last up to the south) which belongs to the Illyrian subregion of the Central – European region of deciduous forests. The Dinaric Alps form the classical karst landscape and calcareous rocks are a major lithological outcrop throughout the distribution of the montane forest. Siliceous and therefore more acidic soils are only partially found in the Southeast (Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia). Some of the last virgin forests in Europe are preserved today in the Balkan mountains, especially the Dinaric alps. Old growth forests yield up to 1400 m³/ha timber and are unsurpassed except maybe only by some parts of the western Caucasus. True fir is a major component in these mountain ecosystems and may reach a height of 60 m (highest firs in Europe in the Biogradska Gora NP). A highly dessected relief, great quantities of precipitation (up to 5500 mm/a in the coastal mountains) and nutritious soils are the basis of the comparatively divers vegetation with very high tree species diversity. Silver fir is one of the most competitive species and is replaced in its natural habitat only on unfavourable sites by spruce and pine. It is found in differing ecosystems mixed with Quercus ssp., Ostrya ssp., Carpinus ssp., Corylus ssp., Fagus ssp., Pinus ssp. and Picea ssp. Fine examples of fir forests are especially in the Gorski kotar and Velika kapela region in Slovenia and Croatia (NP Snjeznik, Risnjak, Velebit) and the high mountains of Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro (NP Sutjeska, Durmitor, Biogradska gora, Tara). A high taxonomical variability of firs in the West Balkans is due to natural variants and hybrids with Abies cephalonica, Abies alba and Abies borisii-regis forming interogressive populations. end.