Mediterranean shrub, found mainly in the southern mountain region, consists mainly of evergreen shrubs (e.g. Quercus ilex, Q. coccifera, Arbutus unedo, and Myrtus communis), deciduous shrubs and Mediterranean trees.
Oak woodland, found above the shrub zone, is composed of oak or mixed forests of oak, hornbeam, black pine, chestnut, ash, maple and linden.
There are 12 oak species in Albania, distributed over almost all the Albanian territory:
Quercus ilex L. (holly oak), Q. coccifera L. (kermes oak), Q. calliprinos Webb, Q. macrolepis Kotschy-Vallonea, Q. trojana Webb (Macedonian oak), Q. robur L. (common oak), Q. frainetto Ten. (Hungarian oak), Q. cerris L. (Turkey oak), Q. pubescens Wild. (pubescent oak), Q. virgiliana Ten., Q. petraea Mattuschka (Lieb) (chestnut oak), and Q. dalechampii Ten. (Mitrushi, 1955; Paparisto 1989).
Oak forests represent an important natural forest resource in Albania not only because they occupy a large area, 336 800 ha, i.e. 31 percent of all forest area (Forest and Pasture Research Institute FPRI, 2001), but also because they represent an important source of timber, providing 19 percent of the total. Oak forests are also valued for the high nutritive value of their leaves and acorns for cattle, especially during the winter.
The multiple uses of oak forests and the deforestation caused by clearing land for agriculture have caused their massive degradation, the reduction of biodiversity and severe soil erosion. Oak forests in Albania are managed in two ways: high forests and coppice. In general, about 74 percent of oak forests are coppice and 26 percent high forests. There is also some oak areas under mixed management (FPRI, 1999).
The structure and distribution of these forest units are briefly described here. In the Balkan region, most of these oak forests have been destroyed or degraded to become woodlands known as Shibliak, as a result of illegal cuttings or overgrazing. Quercus pubescens forests are well distributed in Albania, generally in the central and southern part but, as in most of the Balkans, they are rather degraded. In general, this species is associated with other oaks such as Q. cerris and Q. frainetto. Other trees typical of these forests are Carpinus orientalis Miller, Ostrya carpinifolia Scop., Sorbus domestica L., and Fraxinus ornus L., while the understorey is characterized by Rosa sempervirens L., Amelanchier ovalis Medicus, Cotinus coggyrgia Scop., Spartium junceum L. and Pistacia lentiscus L.
Quercus frainetto is the most common oak species in Albania, especially in the districts of Tropoja, Kukes, Peshkopi, Mat, Kruje, Tirana, Librazhd, Skrapar and Permet.
Phytosociological interpretation of these forests is very difficult due to the important changes in their floristic composition. Q. frainetto grows in a phytoclimatic area of mixed deciduous broadleaved communities; it never forms pure oak forests. Characteristic or indicator plant species of the Quercion frainetto alliance are: Q. frainetto, Q. cerris, Rosa arvensis, Carex caryophyllea, Silene viridiflora, Galium mollugo and Symphytum bulbosum. (Mitrushi, 1955).
In Albania, Quercus cerris has a diverse ecology and is distributed from 100 to 1 200 m above sea level, between the Cemi Stream in the northern part and the Vjosa River in the southern part of Albania, forming pure or mixed forests with Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Q. frainetto Ten., Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz and Carpinus betulus L. (Vangjeli, 1999).
Quercus trojana in Albania is more common in the Mediterranean regions, up to 800 m above sea level, such as in the Rrenc Mountains and in the Kashnjet, Librazhd, Gjirokaster, Korca and Erseka districts. Q. trojana is found in mixed forests with Q. pubescens, Q. cerris, Carpinus orientalis and Fraxinus ornus. The more common species in the understorey are Coronilla emerus, Colutea arborescens, Pistacia terebinthus, Pyracantha coccinea and Juniperus oxycedrus. The herbaceous layer is dominated by Alyssum murale, Silene italica, Geranium sanguineum, Cistus incanus, Satureja juliana and Helianthemum nummularium (Vangjeli, 1999).
Quercus petraea forests are distributed all over Albania, but occur more often in northern and central Albania. In general, they are found in the upper oak zone forming small forests along cool valleys, on northern exposures and in the submontane beech zone, on eastern and southern exposures, 550-800 m above sea level (Mitrushi, 1955).
In Albania, especially in the northern part, the area of Quercus ilex is very fragmented and no stands of significant size are found, except in some small isolated areas such as Ksamil, Karaburun and Shushica Valley.
The shrub layer is characterized by Pistacia lentiscus L., Buxus sempervirens L., Rhamnus alaternus L., Arbutus unedo L., Phillyrea latifolia L., and Erica arborea L. The herbaceous layer includes L., Viola alba Besser, Rubia peregrina L. and Asparagus acutifolius L. In the past, Q. ilex was widely distributed in the Mediterranean belt. Today it is very rare because of over cutting and is classified as an endangered species (Red Book, 1995). It is important, therefore, to include this species in protected areas and approve measures for its development and protection.
Quercus macrolepis Kotschy forms important forests in Albania, up to 800-900 m above sea level, mainly in Southern Albania, between Konispol and Vlora Bay. It is found in pure and mixed forests. These forests colonize deep alluvial soils, with a humid and warm microclimate.
Generally the understorey belongs to the Quercion ilics and Oleo-Ceratonion associations. The phytosociological classification of Q. macrolepis forests is rather difficult as a result of changes of the natural vegetation structure which, in many cases, has become heavily degraded, tending towards the formation of Phlomis fruticosa. The vegetation of
Q. macrolepis forests is generally quite sparse, with wide clearings.
Quercus robur L. does not play an important role in Albania compared with that in other European countries and especially those of Central Europe. In fact, this species is mostly found in areas with mild climate and in alluvial or deep soils, which corresponds with the area of the Alno-Quercion roboris association. As a result of reclamation and of other agricultural interventions, Q. robur is endangered almost to extinction (Red Book, 1995). The alteration to the vegetation structure has been so great that only scattered trees remain as proof of the former existence of forests in this very interesting region of Albania. Depending on the substrate it is possible to distinguish two different types of vegetation that are included in the Aceretosum tatarici and Caricetosum remotae subassociations. Due to the extremely endangered status of this forest type, it is very important to create the conditions for its regeneration in the future, with the objective of creating a Q. robur dominated forest, which is the most valuable forest of these environments (Red Book, 1995).
Beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the most common tree species in Albania. Beech forests occur at 800 to 1 600 m elevation in northern Albania, from 1 000 to 1 800 m in the middle part of the country and from 1 200 to 1 900 m in the southeastern part of the country. They provide important wildlife habitats for various sensitive species such as bear, wolf, fox, wild boar, marten and lynx.
The beech forests are at 42o39’ at the north and 40o6’ at the south, 19o30’ at the west and 20o55’ at East of Albania. In terms of area, the beech forests in Albania are the second largest. They are the most important for wood production. Beech is found in two areas of Albania: the hill zone and the mountainous Mediterranean zone. In the Mediterranean zone the beech is mixed with black pine (Pinus nigra). The main important mountainous Mediterranean zone is in the north at Vermoshi, Qafa e Bozdovecit, Fushe zeze, and Theth, etc. The beech is commonly mixed with fir (Abies alba), Rrobulli (Pinus heldreichii), or Arneni (Pinus peuce). The pure beech forests are mainly in the eastern areas.
The beech forests in Albania are at 900 to 1 700 m elevation, with oaks, chestnut, and black pine at the low level, and pastures and Pinus heldreichi at the higher level. The soil is mainly acidic or neutral, and most sites receive 2 000 to 2 500 mm/year of rain.
Fir (Abies alba) replaces beech forest in the southern part of the country, where it is found only in Bredhi i Sotires and Bredhi i Hotoves at elevations of 1 000 to 1 700 m.
Mountain pine occurs above the beech and fir forests under conditions of hard climate and poor soils, at elevations of 1 600 to 2 100 m in the north and from 1 700 to 2 300 m in the south. The three main species are Pinus leucodermis, P. peuce and P. heldreichii.
The other main species of the alpine zone are Juniperus communis, Sorbus aria, Pinus mugo var. mughus and Salix reticulata.
