Abies cephalonica seed germination and seedling establishment In the burned, silver fir forest of Parnitha National Park, Attica, Greece

摘要

A decline of the endemic Grecian fir (Abies cephalonica Loudon) forests has been reported in the literature, caused by air pollution, drought, low winter temperatures, insect attacks and plant parasites as well as root architecture. In addition, considerable threats for all circum-Mediterranean firs are attributed to a predicted climate change (Aussenac 2002) and increasing wildfire rates (Politi et al 2009). Parnitha NP belongs to the " Natura 2000" Network and hosts valuable habitats and species according to the EU Directive 92/43/EEC. Recently (summer 2007), a large fraction of the Grecian fir forest in PNP was burned; therefore, the present study aims in contributing to the in situ conservation and restoration of this endemic silver fir species,in the Parnitha NP.