Current distribution and recent development of sessile oak forests in Montseny (1956–2015)

Abstract

There is a distribution limit of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) in the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula, with its southernmost populations located at the xeric limit for the species. We present here the current distribution of these populations in the Montseny Massif (N.E. Catalonia) and how the surface area they cover has developed over the last 50 years. Using a new high-resolution map (1:5000) we have calculated that Q. petraea currently covers 64.1 ha, and is found between 450 and 1150 m above sea level with a predominantly southern exposure, with the north-facing slopes being dominated by beech forests. With regard to its recent development, 44% of what is now dense forest was, in 1956, much more dispersed while 11% of it consisted of open spaces or shrubs. Such changes clearly show that, in Montseny, Q. petraea is well capable of regenerating its forest canopy as well as colonising adjacent environments.