Trnovski Gozd "Smrekova Draga"/Spruce Trees Valley in Winter Version; Karst-Dinaric Region, Severna Primorska, Slovenija
18-February-2025
In the Trnovo virgin Alpine Forest, one of the 3 in the Karst-Dinaric region (the Dinarides Karst part, that's the Northernmost part of all Dinaric Alps, is limited to Slovenia with a little part in Italy and in Croatian Istra), there is this deep karstic basin, therefore with porous permeable limestone soil, which has a great micro-climatic and botanical value.
The basin, in the photo, whose mouth is at about 1240m above sea level, is closed on all sides and the cold, heavy air accumulates towards the bottom of it (a part is visible in the center-lower), located at 1100m a.s.l., with a powerful semi-permanent thermal inversion.
Consequently, there is also a marked vegetation inversion, with the partially thermophilic Beech (Fagus sylvatica var dinarica, Bukev) from a sub-alpine climate in the upper part, at altitude (up to 1400m a.s.l.), while towards the bottom we pass to the Silver fir of Apennine origin (Abies alba, Jelka) to arrive, at the edges of the bottom, to the Spruce (Picea abies, Smreka) which loves cold and humid soils from an alpine and continental climate and is the tree that mainly makes up the Siberian taiga.
On the bottom only montana/mountain Pine (Pinus mugo, it grows naturally prostrate to cope with the adverse weather conditions of the mountain high altitude), mosses, lichens and dwarf willows grow (plants that normally are only present in high mountains, above 2000m, at this latitude), with a couple of Birches (Betula pendula) on the south-eastern edge, where there is more air mixing.
All area is wild and totally virgin.
The vegetation inversion, obviously, is better seen in the mid-seasons and without snow, so, for further information, I refer you to the photo taken a few years ago in spring (but still with the non-leafed Beech trees):
www.flickr.com/photos/22873479@N08/52115994465/in/album-7...
Trnovski Gozd "Smrekova Draga"/Spruce Trees Valley in Winter Version; Karst-Dinaric Region, Severna Primorska, Slovenija
18-February-2025
In the Trnovo virgin Alpine Forest, one of the 3 in the Karst-Dinaric region (the Dinarides Karst part, that's the Northernmost part of all Dinaric Alps, is limited to Slovenia with a little part in Italy and in Croatian Istra), there is this deep karstic basin, therefore with porous permeable limestone soil, which has a great micro-climatic and botanical value.
The basin, in the photo, whose mouth is at about 1240m above sea level, is closed on all sides and the cold, heavy air accumulates towards the bottom of it (a part is visible in the center-lower), located at 1100m a.s.l., with a powerful semi-permanent thermal inversion.
Consequently, there is also a marked vegetation inversion, with the partially thermophilic Beech (Fagus sylvatica var dinarica, Bukev) from a sub-alpine climate in the upper part, at altitude (up to 1400m a.s.l.), while towards the bottom we pass to the Silver fir of Apennine origin (Abies alba, Jelka) to arrive, at the edges of the bottom, to the Spruce (Picea abies, Smreka) which loves cold and humid soils from an alpine and continental climate and is the tree that mainly makes up the Siberian taiga.
On the bottom only montana/mountain Pine (Pinus mugo, it grows naturally prostrate to cope with the adverse weather conditions of the mountain high altitude), mosses, lichens and dwarf willows grow (plants that normally are only present in high mountains, above 2000m, at this latitude), with a couple of Birches (Betula pendula) on the south-eastern edge, where there is more air mixing.
All area is wild and totally virgin.
The vegetation inversion, obviously, is better seen in the mid-seasons and without snow, so, for further information, I refer you to the photo taken a few years ago in spring (but still with the non-leafed Beech trees):
www.flickr.com/photos/22873479@N08/52115994465/in/album-7...