100 KURT HOLZER 



(Bjala Mura, Molika, Rumelische Strobe) with its distribution in the 

 highest parts of the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula in the south- 

 eastern part of Europe. In addition, there is a species (or subspecies) -- 

 Pinus sibirioa Du Tour (Kedra, Siberian stone pine; i.e., Pinus oembra 

 var. sibirioa Loud.) --with a wide distribution in the forests of northern 

 Asia and in small areas of the Asiatic Mountains (Ural, Transbaikal and 

 Altai) . P. sibirioa is the most important of all these white pines with 

 a botanical range of about 28.8 million hectares over most of western and 

 central Siberia. It comprises 1% of all timber there, but 85% of these 

 white pines are older than 200 years (KUgler 1962, 1969). The area of 

 P. oembra is quite limited, because of its distribution only near alpine 

 timberline. It extends to about 30,000 ha (reduced area, mostly in 

 the Austrian Alps). The same distributional pattern holds for P. peuoe ; 

 it grows on sites only near timberline. Its reduced area is only about 

 12,000 ha., most of it in southern Bulgaria (Nedjalkov, 1963). P. oembra 

 stands add up to 3% of the timber of the countries Austria, northern 

 Italy, and Switzerland; P. peuoe stands to 3% in Bulgaria, but less in 

 Yugoslavia and Albania. 



Introduced white pines in Europe [mostly P. strobus L. with some P. 

 walliohiana Jacks, (syn. P. griffithii McClell.)] occupy only a small area 

 (see R. Schmitt, these proceedings). Other introduced white pines are 

 found mostly in gardens, as single trees under varying growth conditions. 

 A small stand of P. montioola Dougl . was reported in the British Isles by 

 MacDonald et at. (1957) . At certain places in central Europe we can find 

 small, introduced stands of P. peuoe, and in the Scandinavian north and in 

 the north of European Russia (Archangelsk Region) we find some introduced 

 stands of P. sibirioa, especially planted because of their edible seeds. 



THE NATURAL DISTRIBUTION OF PINUS CEMBRA, P. PEUCE 3 AND P. SIBIRICA 



PINUS CEMBRA 



As shown in the map (Figure 1) the distribution of P. oembra is 

 restricted to the Alps and to small parts of the Carpathian Mountains. 

 This species is a tree of the forests near timberline. It climbs high up 

 in the zone of single trees above this line, as a pioneer for the sub- 

 alpine zone (Holzer, 1963) . In its natural distribution it may occur in 

 at least two different forms--as a forest type and as an open woodland 

 mostly of stunted trees providing a ground cover in the high elevation 

 "Kampfzone". A good botanical characterization of this species is 

 given by Kirchner, Loew, and Schroeter (1908). Apparently we should 

 differentiate these two ecoptyes, as indicated by differential growth of 

 progenies and graftings (Holzer, 1969). The low-elevation native P. 

 oembra stands extend from 1100 m to 1500 m, as individual trees and 

 forests respectively. The principal zone extends from 1700 m to 2000 m, 

 2100 m sometimes in the Central Alps; above this zone we find single 

 trees up to the tree border with highest individuals up to 2700 m (Moser, 

 1960; Marchetti, 1961; Nevole, 1914; Rikli, 1909; Rubner and Reinhold, 

 I960). The highest stands are found in the western Central Alps; tree 

 line descends towards the east (Fuschlberger, 1928). The area in the 

 Carpathian Mountains is much smaller, likely because of the lower eleva- 

 tion of these mountains, but shows similar conditions; the extension 

 begins at 900 m and goes up to 1986 m for the highest known tree (Fekete 

 and Blattny, 1913). Greatest value of P. oembra is probably for watershed 

 and avalanche protection. 



