Ábrahám Levente (szerk.): Válogatott tanulmányok IV. - Natura Somogyiensis 15. / Miscellanea 4. (Kaposvár, 2009)

Ortmanné Ajkai Andrienne - Horváth Ferenc: Külső-Somogytól a Mecsekig: DNX Magyarország három dombvidékének vegetációja

Ortmann-né Ajkai A. & Horváth F.: From Külső-Somogy to Mecsek Hills 23

Percentage distribution of important forest types

Fig. 7: Distribution of mesophilous and dry forests

are present. Total area of them is about 200 ha, they are situated mostly in valley bottoms, latter ones besides watercourses. None of group D grasslands types show any SW-NE gradient, perhaps due to their azonal, waterside character.

Hay meadows are represented by Arrhenatherum hay meadows (El) in all regions, and Festuca rubra and related hay meadows (E2) with small area only in Baranyai-hegyhát. Their total area is 420 ha, 2.2% of natural and semi-natural vegetation.

Grasslands in this area are secondary, formed and maintained by century-long grazing and mowing. Their subsistence in natural and semi-natural state requires this traditional land use. In the past two decades significant decrease of extensive farming resulted in degradation or disappearence of natural and semi-natural grasslands, which indicated here by the fact that uncharacteristic grasslands (O group: mostly extremely weedy grasslands, in lesser extent artifical grasslands and regenerating old-fields) and bushes (P2, mostly overgrowing abandoned pastures, in lesser extent abandoned cultivated areas) covers twice as much as natural and semi-natural ones (2000+2300 ha vs 2300 ha).

Forest habitats

Much of natural and semi-natural vegetation in Baranyai-hegyhát and Völgység (74%, 58%) or almost half of it in Tolnai-hegyhát (46%) is made up of forests.

Natural and semi-natural forests (forest types without plantations) cover about 11000