Správa národního parku Podyjí

Description: Various types of oakwoods are the predominant forest communities in the eastern third of the national park. We can find a wide range of acidophilous and thermophilous oakwood types according to the character of the basement, soils and relief. Most of these are low woods or coppice forests. Coppicing (cutting the branches and leaving the oak stumps to regenerate) and long-term grazing until the end of the 19^th century, contributed to the very open nature of the forests, which still have the character of open oakwoods with many glades up to the present day. The steep slopes are covered with dwarf oaks, looking more like a forest-steppe than a closed forest. The rockier slopes are better suited to Scots pines, which form enclaves of relict pinewoods in places. Some primary forest-free areas can be found o the upper edge of the valley. The oakwoods in Podyjí NP are unique in that they contain all of our native oaks including rare species such as the Turkey oak, the Adriatic oak Quercus virgiliana, downy or pubescent oak and Hungarian oak. However, the predominant oaks are of the sessile oak type. The juniper can also be found in places in these stands. The oakwoods, and especially the thermophilous ones, are exceptionally rich in insect and plant species and are among the most valuable jewels which Podyjí NP can offer to the public.

Flora: Due to the fact that the various oakwood types are interspersed and merge into each other the flora of these biotopes is amazingly rich. In addition to the oak species we can also find the endangered Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) or wild service tree (Sorbus torminalis) on the calcareous substrates. The herb layer is represented by the sedge Carex michelii, purple gromwell (Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum), as well as specially protected species such as the rose daphne (Daphne cneorum), ox-eye (Buphthalmum salicifolium), yellow monkshood (Aconitum anthora) and burning bush (Dictamnus albus). The acidophilous oakwoods provide cover for hairy greenweed (Genista pilosa), sheep’s fescue (Festuca ovina), wavy hair-grass (Avenella flexuosa), common cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense) and often the dominant wood meadow-grass (Poa nemoralis). The moss layer mostly consists of the haircap moss Polytrichum piliferum, cypress-leaved plait-moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) and cup lichens (Cladonia spp.). The edible beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica), which is a parasite on the oak trees, is a common representative of the fungi.

Fauna: These forest stands with the highest species diversity in Podyjí NP are the home of large numbers of animals, especially invertebrates. Especially the more open, thermophilous oakwoods play host to the richest vertebrate and invertebrate communities. The most interesting species, which are closely bound to the oak trees include beetles such as the stag beetle (Lucanus Cervus), great Capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo), the longhorn beetle Purpurieus kaehleri and the curculionid weevil Gasterocercus depressirostris. The butterflies are also well represented here and species such as the purple hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus), tawny prominent (Harpyia milhauseri) and the light crimson underwing (Catocala promissa) are relatively common here. Common birds include the middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius) and collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), as well as the hoopoe (Upupa epops) in the eastern part of the national park. Two significant reptile species are also represented in these oakwoods: the Aesculapian tree snake (Zamenis lomgissimus)  and the emerald lizard (Lacerta viridis).

Author: Robert Stejskal