Frequently Asked Questions

By nature, the Beech would be the most common tree species in Germany. Two thirds of Germany (66%) would be covered by beech forests if it were not for significant human intervention since the Middle Ages. Today, only a mere 32% of Germany's national territory is covered with forest. The distribution of tree species no longer corresponds with their natural distribution. Spruce and pine are the most common tree species in Germany (together approx. 50 %). In Germany's forests, the beech now only accounts for 15 percent of stands.
Old-growth beech forests are particularly valuable for biodiversity, as old trees and dead wood provide habitats for many species. There is, however, only a small proportion of beech forests older than 160 years (6%).

Beech forests in Germany

There are 11 species of the genus beech (Fagus) altogether, which grow on Earth's northern hemisphere in temperate climate zones: In addition to our European beech (Fagus sylvatica), there are seven species in East Asia, two in North America, and one in the Middle East. However, most of the natural beech forests on this planet have been cleared to make space for settlements and agriculture, or they were converted to coniferous forests. Only the European Beech still occupies larger areas of Central Europe, especially in Germany, France, Romania, and Slovenia.

A sovereign of the shadows

Since the ice age, the beech has managed to colonise large parts of Europe. This dominance has developed within the last 4,000 years – an extremely short period of time, in geological and evolutionary terms. This ecological process still continues on, the beech is still expanding its range. This is a globally unique example of how a single tree species can assert itself and dominate a large area.

Globally unique - The continuous expansion of the beech

All beech forest areas of the World Heritage Site have so-called core zones. Core zones are those areas and their ecosystems in the forest interior that are unaffected and undisturbed by human use. These core zones are the World Heritage property. Nature here is so precious and fragile that visitor access may be restricted in some places. The core zones are usually surrounded by substantially larger buffer zones, which ensure the protection of surrounding areas. In the buffer zones, the respective rules for nature conservation apply, if the beech forest area is open to the public at all.

World Heritage Area Grumsin

World Heritage Area Hainich

World Heritage Area Jasmund

World Heritage Area Kellerwald

World Heritage Area Serrahn

Planar beech forests are those in the lowlands. Their altitude limit is below 400 meters. In Germany they are found in Schleswig-Holstein, in Lower Saxony, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and in Brandenburg (World Heritage areas Serrahn, Jasmund and Grumsin). Over the past centuries, they have been severely diminished, as the relatively flat relief made them easily accessible for agricultural use. Hence, the remnants of these forests are particularly worthy of protection.

UNESCO World Heritage Grumsin

UNESCO World Heritage Jasmund

UNESCO World Heritage Serrahn

It is only with increasing age that the trunk of beech trees becomes stronger, the bark more cracked, that branches break off and tree hollows appear. Here, fungi and lichens, small mammals, insects, and birds find their habitat. Dead trees or fragments of them are colonised by specialised species and ultimately returned to the natural cycle in a decomposed state. When an old tree dies in an uncultivated beech forest, it makes room for new life. The small-scale coexistence of old and young woodland sections is what makes these forests so diverse.

Superorganism Beech Forest

The beech was the last of our current native tree species to return to Central Europe after the last ice age. Their refuge areas were located beyond the Alps, in the Apennines, in the southern Balkans, and in the Pyrenees. Their arrival occurred about 7,000 years ago from present-day Slovenia via the Eastern Alps, the Danube valley and Bohemia, to the North German lowlands and from there via Denmark to southern Sweden. The migration of beech has not yet been completed and will continue in the course of climate change.

Globally unique – The continuous expansion of the beech

In beech forests, the beech is the dominant tree species and can occupy over 90% of the tree layer. On most sites, the beech barely tolerates other tree species next to it, which makes it the winner in the competition for light. Unlike almost any other tree species, it is able to close gaps in the stand by canopy space-filling within a short period of time. It closes the canopy again and other tree species wither away from lack of light. The beech itself can tolerate a lot of shade, especially when young. Young beech trees lurk in the shady understorey for a very long time and bolt upwards when thinning occurs. Another reason for the success of the beech is that it has a wide range of habitats. They can grow almost anywhere here, except in very wet, very acidic, or very dry soils. There can be between 300 and 400 beech trees on one hectare, as well as several thousand saplings.

A sovereign of the shadows

The forests in the north are relatively young. At Jasmund, for example, beech forests only developed 800 years ago. The beech forests in the low mountain ranges such as Hainich and Kellerwald, on the other hand, are already several 1,000 years old.

In managed forests, the beech is usually harvested, i.e. cut down, at an age of 120-160 years. However, its natural age limit is much higher, at 250-300 years (in some cases even over 400 years).

The World Heritage areas in Germany are, with the exception of very small relict areas of primary forest, near-natural old-growth forests.
The beech forests of the Carpathians, however, are referred to as primeval forests. In these areas, a natural forest development has taken place, undisturbed by human impacts.

Beech forests of the Carpathians

The different beech forest regions are illustrated on the map you can find here.