Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use Macedonian Pinus peuce Pinus peuce Pinus peuce Pinus Alexander H. Alexandrov1 and Vlatko Andonovski2 1 Forest Research Institute, Sofia, 2 Faculty of Forestry, Skopje, FYR

These Technical Guidelines are intended to assist those who cherish the valuable Macedonian pine gene pool and its inheritance, through conserving valuable sources or use in practical forestry. The focus is on conserving the genetic diversity of the species at the European scale. The recommendations provided in this module should be regarded as a commonly agreed basis to be complemented and further developed for local, national or regional conditions. The Guidelines are based on the available knowledge of the species and on widely accepted methods for the conservation of forest genetic resources.

Biology and ecology brown afterward. The branch- es are relatively thick, greenish while still young and later they Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce become grey. The brachyblasts Grisb.) is a reaching up to contain five fine needles each. 30-35 m in height and up to These needles are grayish-green, 50-60 cm in diameter, 50-70 mm long and 1 mm wide. but certain individu- The male reproductive or- als may reach a gans are aments of a cylindrical height of 42 m and shape, on average 13 mm long a diameter of 1.20 and up to 3.5 mm wide, and yel- m. The tree height low in colour. They are situated of this species di- in groups of 10-15 at the bases minishes strongly of growing shoots. The cones near the upper forest have a two-year cycle of devel- limit and may even ob- opment. In the beginning they tain shrub sizes. are green or greenish-violet with In stands, the their scales closed and covered crown is narrow, with resin granules. They mature pyramid-like, with in September - October of the comparatively short second year when they reach and slightly ascend- lengths of 7 -18 cm and widths ing branches situ- of 3-4 cm. The are ovate, ated in whorls, of grey-brown, from 4.7-8.9 mm good self - prun- long and from 3.4-6.4 mm wide. ing. Up to the age In the beginning a Pinus of 40-50 the bark peuce tree develops a well- is smooth, dark- formed, spindle-like, central root green or green- but its lateral root system gradu- violet, becomeing ally develops intensively thus plate-like fissured penetrating deep into the soil and grey to grey- and providing a high stability. MacedonianPinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian Pinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian pine PinusPinus peuceMacedonian pine Pinuspeuce peuceMacedonian pinePinus peuce PinusMacedonian pinePinus peuce Macedonianpeuce pinePinus peuce

The cold mountain climate Distribution Importance and use and high air humidity are the most suitable conditions for Pinus peuce. Macedonian pine is a tertary relic Macedonian pine is one of the Though it occurs naturally and endemic species of the Bal- most valuable species from 800-900 m up to 2300-2400 kan Peninsula which A. Grise- in the Balkan Peninsula. It has a m altitude, its optimum is most bach discovered in 1839 wide altitudinal range, from often from 1600-1900 m altitude. (Pelister, Macedonia the lower border of the sub- Pinus peuce often occurs on FYR) and described in mountain belt to the up- mainly silicate terrains and, less 1844 as Pinus peuce. per border of the subalpine often, on carbonate ones. This pine is the only one forest belt. This indicates from the Subgenus Stro- the high ecological adaptibil- bus native to the Balkan ity of the species. Macedo- Peninsula. It occurs in some nian pine thrives in the upper of the high mountains be- mountain belt and produces tween the northern latitudes high yields of . There of 41° and 43°. it can be widely used for the The natural range of improvement of low yield- this species consists of ing stands of other species two parts separated by and to artificially expand the the valley of the Vardar upper forest border, lowered by River. The eastern part is excessive cuttings, grazing and in south-western Bulgar- fires. The exceptional adaptation ia and the western part of Macedonian pine to the se- is in Macedonia FYR, vere mountain climate conditions south-western Ser- makes it a valuable species for bia, south-eastern afforestation on high terrain for , eastern protection against erosion. and north- Its wood is soft, light - with western . average specific gravity of 440 The areas oc- kg/m3, of homogenous struc- cupied by Pinus peuce ture, tight and durable. Pith in the following mountain is pale-yellowish and strongly ranges are as follows: resinous, core is reddish. Pinus Mt. – 7175 ha, Mt. – 6230 peuce wood is highly valued in ha, Central Balkan Range – construction, furniture produc- 193 ha, Western Phodopes – 170 tion, wood-carving and cooper- ha, Mt. – 104 ha, Slavyan- age. It is extremely durable, as ka Mt. – 57 ha, Pelister Mt. – 2500 and logs which have been ha, Prokletije Mt. – 3531 ha and earthed up by torrential currents Shara Mt. – 433 ha. and have then remained in the ground for 10, 20 and even more years, are still good for usage. The resin of Pinus peuce pro- vides high quality derivatives, MacedonianPinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian Pinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian pine PinusPinus peuceMacedonian pine Pinuspeuce peuceMacedonian pinePinus peuce PinusMacedonian pinePinus peuce Macedonianpeuce pinePinus peuce

which are used in the chemical Genetic knowledge Sieb. et Zucc., x Pinus monticola industry, optics and pharmacy. Dougl., x Pinus ayacahuite Ehr., x The local population use Pinus Dougl., x Pi- peuce resin to cure wounds, Taking crown habit as a criterion, nus excelsa Wall., x Pinus flexi- pectoral, skin and stomach dis- the following forms are deter- lis James. Hybrid seedlings eases, varicose veins and other mined: obtained were competitive illnesses. 1) With spindle-shaped crowns with the control ones in growth (f. vermiculata); and resistance to diseases. 2) With cone-shaped crowns (f. conica); 3) With column-shaped crowns (f. columnaris). According to branching habitat, three forms are distinguished: f. horizon- talis, f. pyramidalis and f. pendula. Analogous to the other pine species the forms of Pinus peuce ,de- termined according to this feature, they have morphologi- cal characteristics that have resulted from continuous ad- aptation to particular ecologi- cal conditions. According to bark cracking, the following forms are deter- The coefficients of heritability mined: smooth-barked, scale- in the narrow sense and the ge- barked, with spruce-like-cracked netic gain from the selection by bark and with longitudinally individuals were established in plate-like-cracked bark. 13 representative populations of According to the coloration of Macedonian pine from Pirin Mt., the strobiles, three forms can be Rila Mt. and the Central Balkan observed: var. chlorocarpa, var. Range. erythrocarpa and var. dichlora. Based on the needle terpene According to morphology profile some Pinus peuce popu- and natural range, two forms lations from and Mon- (ecotypes) are distinguished: var. tenegro are more similar to those typica (western part of Vardar from Greece and . River) and var. vermiculata (east- ern part of Vardar River). Successful inter-specific hy- bridization has been carried out between: Pinus peuce x Pinus strobes L., x Pinus parviflora MacedonianPinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian Pinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian pine PinusPinus peuceMacedonian pine Pinuspeuce peuceMacedonian pinePinus peuce PinusMacedonian pinePinus peuce Macedonianpeuce pinePinus peuce

Threats to on the mountains of Pelister and Guidelines for genetic Kozyak. Considerable resistance genetic diversity conservation and use to Pissodes strobi Peck has been Macedonian pine is general- reported. This species forms as pure, so ly considered to belong to the Wood is damaged by Acan- mixed stands most often occur group of species which almost thocinus aedilis L. and Monocha- with Picea abies (L.) Karst., Pinus do not suffer from insect pests mus galloprovincialis Ol., which sylvestris L., Pinus mugo Turra and fungus diseases. However, make galleries mainly in felled and less often with Abies alba this statement exaggerates its stems. Mill., Pinus nigra Arn., Pinus hel- generally good health status. In The fungus diseases of Pi- dreichii Christ., Fagus sylvatica L. fact, this pine is more resistant nus peuce, even though less and other species. to such factors, as compared numerous than the insect pests, The contrasting bio-ecolog- with the other conifer species. A deliver more impact but of com- ical peculiarities of Pinus peuce substantial reason for this resist- paratively low degree. Macedo- and Picea abies, of Pinus peuce ance is the severe climatic con- nian pine is attacked by Het- and Abies alba and some other ditions in the high parts of the erobasidium annosum (Fr.) Bref., species have been combined mountains where it is spread, as Phaeolus schweinitzii (Fr.) Par., very well in mixed, two-storeyed these conditions do not favour Cenangium ferru gi- stands. That is why striving the development of a number nosum Fr., Armil- to establish such stands is of diseases and pests. Another laria mellea (Vahl.) reasonable from both the reason is the high resinousness/ Karst., Trametes biological and ecological resin content of its wood, buds pini Fr., Polyporus points of view. and cones which is also a limit- sp., Stereum sp. and The natural regen- ing factor because of the resin’s others. Consider- eration of Pinus peuce toxic properties. able resistance to depends on a number The insects which attack Pi- of factors such as al- nus peuce are bark beetles Ips J.C. Fisch. has been titude, type of forest, amitinus Eichh. and Ips sexden- reported. rate and periodicity of tatus Boen., which impact mainly With respect to air pol- seeding, crown clo- felled stems, Pityogenes chal- lution, Pinus peuce grow- sure, relief, application cographus L., Pityogenes biden- ing in forest plantations and of corresponding fell- tatus Hrbst., Pityogenes bistri- parks in different parts of ing, etc. The state of dentatus Eichh. and Pityogenes has been categorized most of the Pinus peuce quadridens Htg. which attack by different authors as resistant forests requires the pro- mainly young trees. Pissodes to slightly resistant, the opinion cesses of regeneration to be di- notatus Fabr. and Pissodes pini about its relative resistance be- rected by foresters with a view L. are secondary pests which ing the dominant one. According to preserving, taking care of and impact the lower parts of the to the scale of gas resistance propagating this species. stems. Hylobius abietes L. is a under acute impact of sulphur The in situ conservation mass pest which attacks main- dioxide, Pinus peuce is related to method includes mainly the na- ly seedlings by gnawing their the species of outward, slightly tional and nature parks, reserves, bark but it also feeds on nee- visible damage but of decreased seed stands and plus trees. By dles. Availability of Myelophilus productivity. the ex situ method the genetic minor Hartm. and Myelophilus resources of Macedonian pine piniperda L. has been reported are preserved mainly through PinusMacedonian pinePinus peuce Macedonianpeuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian Pinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian pinePinusPinus peuceMacedonian pin

Distribution range of Macedonian pine

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provenance testing plantations, many countries of the Northern bark fissuring prevail should be progeny trial plantations, seed Hemisphere. preferred for the purposes of orchards and genebanks for The area of Macedonian pine breeding. The existence of two seeds. Assessing the advantag- seed stands in Bulgaria is 693 ha edaphotypes – silicate and car- es of the two methods for con- and that of the seed orchards 10 bonate – should be taken into servation of genetic resources, ha, in Macedonia FYR - respec- consideration. in situ seems to be more reliable. tively 110 ha and 6 ha and in While selecting plus and can- The autochthonous populations Serbia and Montenegro 10 ha of didate elite trees, individuals with of Pinus peuce in Pirin Mt., Pelis- seed stands. narrow crown, fine and short ter Mt. and Prokletije Mt. present The high grade stands in branches of first order disposed valuable genetic resources for which trees with spindle-shaped approximately perpendicular to the introduction of this species in crowns and shallow-scaled the stem should be selected. PinusMacedonian pinePinus peuce Macedonianpeuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian Pinus pinePinus peuceMacedonian peuce pinePinus peuceMacedonian pinePinusPinus peuceMacedonian pin

This series of Technical Guide- Selected bibliography lines and distribution maps were produced by members of the EUFORGEN Networks. The Alexandrov, A. 1998. Pinus peuce Grisb. – Enzyklopädie der holzgewäsche, objective is to identify minimum ECOMED, Landsberg, Germany, III-1, 10 p. (In Germ.) requirements for long-term Dobrev R. 2007. Quantative genetics and breeding of Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce Grseb.) of Pirin Mt., Rila Mt. and Central Balkan range. DSc. thesis, genetic conservation in Europe, Sofia, 183 pp. (In Bulg. summary in Eng.). in order to reduce the overall Proceedings of International Symposium on Pinus peuce Grisb. 1970. Skopje. conservation cost and to improve Macedonia FYR, 547 pp. quality standards in each country. IUFRO. 2001. Breeding and Genetic Resources of Five-Needle : Growth, Adaptability and Pest Resistance. Intern. Conf. Medford, Or., USA, IUFRO WP 2.02.15, USDA, F.S., 259 pp. Nikolic, B., M. Ristic, S. Bojovic and P. Marin. 2008. Variability of the Needle Essential Oils of Pinus peuce from different populations in Montenegro and Citation: Alexandrov A.H. and V. Serbia. – Chemistry & Biodiversity, 5:377-1388. Andonovski. 2011. EUFORGEN Popnikola, N., M. Jovančević and M. Vidaković. 1978. Genetics of Pinus peuce Technical Guidelines for genetic Gris. Annales Forestales 7(6), Zagreb, Croatia. conservation and use of Mac- Ničota, B. and M. Stamenkov. 1970. Početni istraživanja za pojavata na sis- temski kategorii vnatre na vidot kaj molikata (Pinus peuce Gris). Zbornik na edonian pine (Pinus peuce). Bio- simpoziumot za molikata, 2-6 IX 1969, Pelister-, str. 83-94. versity International, Rome, Italy. 6 pages.

Drawings: Pinus peuce, Claudio Giordano. © Bioversity Interna- tional, 2004.

ISBN 978-92-9043-826-7

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