INSTYTUT DENDROLOGII

Petr Maděra, Soňa Tichá, Radomír Řepka

Distribution and ecological requirements of Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz in the Czech Republic 

Dendrobiology 2013, vol. 69: 59-68

http://dx.doi.org/10.12657/denbio.069.007

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Abstract: This study addresses the distribution of the wild service tree Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz in the Czech Republic by drawing on publicly available databases and herbarium records. In the Czech Republic, this tree occurs in stands at a proportion greater than 1% in 4350.32 ha of forests; the reduced area of the species is 86.42 ha. However, mapping the biotopes for Natura 2000 showed 3627 segments of biotopes, with the wild service tree occurring in a total area of 31274.4 ha. There are approximately 220179 wild service tree individuals in the Czech Republic. This tree is found at altitudes from 175 to 760 m a.s.l., with the centre between 250 and 450 m a.s.l. It shows no preference for slope orientation and is mostly located at sites with rich, and frequently humus-enriched, soils; however, it is often found at extreme sites with shallow soils in the 1^st –5^th forest altitudinal zones. In the Czech Republic, the wild service tree clearly prefers plant communities of cl. Querco-Fagetea; however, its occurrence was recorded in 10 other classes (20 alliances) of the phytocoenological system. In the conditions of the Czech Republic, natural regeneration of the wild service tree occurs in approximately 55% of the stands in which it is present. 

Additional key words: wild service tree, abundance, presence in plant communities