Summary

Zusammenfassung

Forests of Pinus nigra (black pine, black fir), are widespread in southern Carinthia because of peculiar geographic and climatic conditions. These occurrences form the northernmost stands of the species with the exception of a few isolated stands in the Vienna Woods. Through saddles and depressions in the mountain chain which shields Carinthia from the south, Pinus nigra, together with many other illyrian and southeastern alpine plants has spread to the north from the neighboring black pine territory. This occurred after the last Ice Age.

Pinus nigra Arnold with its occurrence in Austria belongs to a wider species group, the distribution of which reaches from Spain, through southern France, Italy, the Balkan peninsula to Asia Minor. In Carinthia, Pinus nigra occurs exclusively in the alpine border zone which is influenced by moist oceanic winds, and on very young soils developed from limestone or dolomite in southwest to east situations. On sunny slopes Pinus nigra forms part of the lower red beech stage, on moist, shady slopes however, is part of the middle red beech stage of the alpine border zone under oceanic influence.