%0 Journal Article
%T Extra-zonal beech forests in Tuscany: structure, diversity and synecologic features
%A Sabbatini S
%A Selvi F
%A Viciani D
%J Forest@
%D 2011
%I Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF)
%R 10.3832/efor0659-008
%X The present paper focuses on the structural, synecological and floristic diversity features of beech-dominated forest communities in four major areas of the Antiapenninic Tyrrhenian system in Tuscany: Metalliferous hills, mountains to the south of Mt. Amiata, volcanic area of the upper Lente valley and Mt. Cetona. These are relict woodlands of Holo-Pleistocene origin with a special ecological and conservation value due to their extrazonal location in lowland submediterranean areas. Results show substantial among-area differences in structure, synecology and plant species composition, but in general a potential for coppices to reach the tall forest stage, as demonstrated by the old-growth stands of Pietraporciana and Sassoforte. Compared with montane Apenninic beechwoods, the relatively rich flora of the studied communities include thermophilous species with a southern Apennine-Balkan distribution, making their syntaxonomical position unclear. Closer affinities are found with the calcicolous Beech Forests of the association and with the silicicolous ones of the . Based on the Natura 2000 system, all the examined communities belong to the priority Habitat ˇ°Apennine beech forests with and ˇ± (code: 9210*). Due their relict nature, these biotopes appear vulnerable to climate changes and to a production-oriented forest management. Criteria of naturalistic silviculture should instead promote the dynamic development of these communities towards tall forests and their natural regeneration.
%K Beech forest
%K Extrazonal forests
%K Phytosociology
%K Plant diversity
%K Southern Tuscany
%K Forest structure
%K Synecology
%U http://www.sisef.it/forest@/show.php?id=659&lang=en