PERIODICAL LITERATURE 

 FOREST GEOGRAPHY AND DESCRIPTION 



All of Greece was well forested in prehistoric 

 Forest times, but the forest was reduced to about its 



Conditions of present extent during the Homeric and post- 

 Modern Greece Homeric periods. Most of the accessible forests 

 near the coasts have gone, but there are still 

 dense virgin stands in the mountains of the interior. There are three 

 main forest zones: (a) Evergreen hardwoods (0-800 m. elevation) 

 with a dry subtype (0-500 m.) including such species as Pistacia 

 lentiscus, Olea Europaea, Juniperiis Thoenica, Tamarix Hampeatm, 

 Quercus aegilops, Pimis pinea; and a cooler subtype, characterized by 

 Quercus coccifera, Q. ilex, Arbutus unedo, A. andrachne, Myrtus 

 communis, Laurus nobilis, Buxus sempervirens, Styrax officinalis, 

 Celtis australis, Rhus cotinus, Ficus carica, Morus alba, M. nigral; 

 Common to both subtypes are: Pinus silvestris (in Macedonia), P. 

 halepensis, Cupressus sempervirens, Robinia pseudacacia, Alnus glut- 

 inosa, and others, (b) Deciduous hardwoods (800-1,500 m.), char- 

 acterized at lower elevations by oaks, especially Quercus robur, Q. 

 conferta, Q. pedunculiflora, Q. pubescens, Q. pedunculata, Q. sessili- 

 flora, Q. cerris; higher up chestnut {Castanea vesca) is common. Other 

 common trees of this zone are : Ashes, hornbeams, walnut, aspen, 

 sycamore, elms, horsechestnut, maples, lindens, dogwood, hazel and 

 beech, {c) Conifers (1,500-2,000 m.) comprising Abies cephalonica, 

 Pinus laricio (corsicana), P. leucodermis, P. peuce, Taxus baccata, 

 Juniperus foetidissima, J. oxycedrus. 



Conifer forests (especially fir) occupy 55 per cent of the forest 

 area. The stands are open, all-aged, and reproduction is seriously 

 retarded by overgrazing. Growth is fairly rapid because of the long 

 growing season and high mean temperatures. The total forest area, 

 while not definitely known, owing to lack of surveys, is estimated at 

 1,800,000 hectares, including scrub forest, or 16 per cent of the total 

 area of the new Greece (including territory added after Balkan wars). 

 This is 0.38 hectares per capita. At least 6,600,000 hectares is absolute 

 forest soil. The forests are very unevenly distributed, increasing from 

 the South and East toward the North and West, and are most extensive 

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