Phytosociological analysis of mesophilous sweet chestnut forests (Ccastanea sativa Mill.) near Kostajnica (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Abstract

Paper presents phytosociological characteristics of the mesophilous forests of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in the Management unit “Pastirevo” near Kostajnica. Researched stands are degraded, coppice forests. Floristic analysis has shown that those forests belong to the mesophilous association Aposeri foetidae-Castaneetum sativae Medak 2011 of the alliance Aremonio-Fagion, particularly its degraded variant var. Rubus hirtus. This main type is further divided on more mesophilous variant without Quercus petraea (subassociation typicum) and more acidothermophilous variant with Quercus petraea. The first one mainly occupies colder expositions, while the second one comes on warmer slopes (southern expositions).