Classifying areas as alvars or Juniper shrublands. Table 1. Overgrown alvar Alver in danger with a urgent Habitat Open alvar of overgrowing restoration need Juniper shrub Alvar forest 50-75% (80% in the less juniper conditions where shrub, more Area covered by the grass layer is pine trees (also junipers 10-30 (40)% 40-50% present) 80-100% spruce, birch) herbaceous vegetation grassland species-poor species rich herb characteristic herb and sparse, no species rich herb layer present, layer present in dense herb layer present, grassland patches, some layer, topsoil is consists of species areas are covered covered by herb layer grassland dominant in the by moss or sparse needle-fall and consists of forest Herb layer species herb layer vegetation moss species can be restored if reasonable, no human restoration conservation of activity is grazing, removal (removal of juniper shrub is necessary for Necessary of trees/shrubs trees/shrubs) and not sustainable alvar forest activity grazing when necessary then grazing in long term conservation >>>>>>>>>Succession proceeds in this direction if the management stops>>>>>>>>>> A selection of light-demanding grassland species, which are rarely or not at all found Table 2. on overgrown alvars. The list is informative and incomplete. Acinos arvensis Anthemis tinctoria Artemisia campestris Artemisia rupestris Carex ornithopoda Carex caryophyllea Crepis tectorum Helianthemum nummularium Leontodon autumnalis Libanotis montana Linum catharticum Ophrys insectifera Orchis militaris Phleum phleoides Polygala comosa
Table 1. Classifying areas as alvars or Juniper shrublands. Habitat Open alvar Alver in danger of overgrowing Overgrown alvar with a urgent restoration need Juniper shrub Alvar forest Area covered by junipers 10-30 (40)% 40-50% 50-75% (80% in the conditions where the grass layer is present) 80-100% less juniper shrub, more pine trees (also spruce, birch) Herb layer species rich herb layer present, consists of grassland species species rich herb layer present, grassland species dominant in the herb layer grassland characteristic herb layer present in patches, some areas are covered by moss or sparse vegetation herbaceous vegetation species-poor and sparse, no dense herb layer, topsoil is covered by needle-fall and moss herb layer consists of forest species Necessary activity grazing grazing, removal of trees/shrubs when necessary restoration (removal of trees/shrubs) and then grazing can be restored if reasonable, conservation of juniper shrub is not sustainable in long term no human activity is necessary for alvar forest conservation >>>>>>>>>Succession proceeds in this direction if the management stops>>>>>>>>>> Table 2. A selection of light-demanding grassland species, which are rarely or not at all found on overgrown alvars. The list is informative and incomplete. Acinos arvensis Anthemis tinctoria Artemisia campestris Artemisia rupestris Carex ornithopoda Carex caryophyllea Crepis tectorum Helianthemum nummularium Leontodon autumnalis Libanotis montana Linum catharticum Ophrys insectifera Orchis militaris Phleum phleoides Polygala comosa
ENG_alvar_grasslands.docx