Luzulo-Fagetum beech forests
Acidophilous beech forests with a species-poor herbaceous layer, of the planar to colline zones (here often with Quercus petraea, Quercus robur in the tree layer), and into the montane zone (with tall herbaceous plants in the herbaceous layer). They include near-natural beech forests of the lowlands which are sometimes described as separate associations. These also include beech-rich facies of the Fago-Quercetum. In terms of altitudinal belts the beech-fir forests and the beech-fir-spruce forests of the montane zone ('montane mixed forests' of base-poor soils) are included, but not the Aceri-Fagetum of the upper montane to subalpine zone (separate habitat type 9140).
Notes on habitat mapping
This habitat type is distinguished from other forests of lower altitudes (planar to submontane) by the dominance of beech (Fagus sylvatica).
Comments
This habitat type includes all acidophilous beech forests (partly described as Luzulo-Fagenion sub-alliance). The epiphyte-rich beech forests of habitat type 9120 with holly and yew are strongly Atlantic vegetation units which in Germany occur at most as fragments in the Atlantic region. Therefore, for Germany, these should preferably be assigned to type 9110.
Evolved historically from richer beech forests (Asperulo-Fagetum) through use of litter for animal bedding (soil impoverishment).