baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

Garajonay National Park on the island of La Gomera is the largest (40 km ² ) and the best preserved example of “laurisilva” on the Canary Islands ¹ , though the same type exists even better preserved on Madeira . The park is also a World Heritage Site.

As the volcanic Canary Islands have never been connected to any continent ² , their tree species diversity is low. Indeed, the Garajonay laurisilva is formed by only about 20 tree species ¹ . The forest formations range from stunted thickets of Erica arborea (tree heath), Morella faya and Ilex canariensis (small-leaved holly) in the exposed sites and the drier highest elevations to tall subtropical forest with little undergrowth in protected valleys where the tallest tree species, more demanding ³ Persea indica and Ocotea foetens grow. The most abundant tree is Laurus novocanariensis , which is adapted to various habitats. E. arborea – M. faya scrub also occurs as a pioneer community after past felling ⁴ . Almost all the species are evergreen. Differences between many species are small but learning to identify the main species is relatively easy.

Mean annual temperature is approx. 13–14°C and annual precipitation approx. 600 to 800 mm ⁴ . Additionally, the park is in the cloud zone of the northeastern trade winds; water condensing from fog compensates the lack of summer rains and increases the annual precipitation remarkably ⁵ . Elevations range from about 700 m to 1484 m. Many slopes are steep.

Particularly in German literature Garajonay is often considered to be primeval forest (Urwald) but true primary forest can only be expected on steep slopes and in ravines ³ . Old cut stumps can be seen in places near the park boundaries. Grazing continued until the 1940s and its impact on the understory was significant; particularly the southern part of the park (incl. the highest mountain tops) is seriously degraded ¹ . However, for several decades there has been very little human intervention ¹ . Introduced rats, mice, rabbits and cats are abundant ⁶ .

Most trails are located close to the park boundaries and roads. The park can be reached by bus. Camping is not allowed .

References :

1 http://www.parquesnacionalesdecanarias.com

2 Wildpret, W. & Martín, V. E. (1997): Laurel forest in the Canary Island: biodiversity, historical use and conservation . Tropics 6 (4): 371–381.

3 Kunkel, G. (1993): Die Kanarischen Inseln und ihre Pflanzenwelt, 3. ed. Gustav Fischer Verlag.

4 Del-Arco, M. J. et al. (2009): Bioclimatology and climatophilous vegetation of Gomera. Ann. Bot. Fennici 46 : 161–191.

5 Izquierdo, T., de las Heras, P. & Márquez, A. (2011): Vegetation indices changes in the cloud forest of La Gomera Island (Canary Islands) and their hydrological implications . Hydrol. Process. 25 , 1531–1541.

6 Führer des Nationalparks Garajonay und der Insel La Gomera. CNIG.

Official site:

http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/parquesnacionalesdecanarias/en/Garajonay/