This study was carried out in the mountain range of Talassemtane and in Jebel Tazaot (both included in Talassemtane National Park). The range occupied by this fir in Talassemtane (TA) is around 3760 ha, while the range of Tazaot (TZ) extends over approximately 300 ha, where fir grows mostly on northern slope [45 ,46 ,47 (link)].
A. marocana is a monoecious or sub-dioecious conifer that grows between 1500 and 2000 m a.s.l. [12 (link)] in mountains near the coast, where annual rainfall fairly exceeds 1000 mm, and is a drought-sensitive species [13 (link),14 (link),15 (link),16 (link)]. In the lower elevation limits of dense A. marocana forests, the vegetation is Mediterranean, dominated by Quercus rotundifolia Lam. (holm oak), Quercus faginea Lam. (gall oak), Pinus pinaster Ait. (Maritime pine), and Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo pine) forests. Upslope, A. marocana is the dominant tree to roughly 1700 m, where it grows with other relict trees, such as Acer granatense Boiss. (Spanish Maple), Taxus baccata L. (yew), Cedrus atlantica Manetti (Atlas cedar), and Pinus nigra salzmannii (Dunal) Franco (Laricio pine).
The Moroccan fir is endemic and relict, limited to the Rif mountains of North Morocco; this fir is included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as endangered species [48 (link)], and one of the most serious hazards for its survival is climate change. Soils are usually shallow, rocky, and developed on limestone.
The mean temperature range in the study area goes from 12 to 14 °C, with a maximum of 33 °C, and a minimum of 0 °C, reaching −3 °C at high elevation. The mean annual precipitation is above 500 mm and can exceed 2000 mm at high mountain peaks [49 ]. As a whole, the rainfall patterns are distinctly Mediterranean, with approximately 90% of all precipitation falling between October and April, followed by a long summer drought.
A. marocana is a monoecious or sub-dioecious conifer that grows between 1500 and 2000 m a.s.l. [12 (link)] in mountains near the coast, where annual rainfall fairly exceeds 1000 mm, and is a drought-sensitive species [13 (link),14 (link),15 (link),16 (link)]. In the lower elevation limits of dense A. marocana forests, the vegetation is Mediterranean, dominated by Quercus rotundifolia Lam. (holm oak), Quercus faginea Lam. (gall oak), Pinus pinaster Ait. (Maritime pine), and Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo pine) forests. Upslope, A. marocana is the dominant tree to roughly 1700 m, where it grows with other relict trees, such as Acer granatense Boiss. (Spanish Maple), Taxus baccata L. (yew), Cedrus atlantica Manetti (Atlas cedar), and Pinus nigra salzmannii (Dunal) Franco (Laricio pine).
The Moroccan fir is endemic and relict, limited to the Rif mountains of North Morocco; this fir is included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as endangered species [48 (link)], and one of the most serious hazards for its survival is climate change. Soils are usually shallow, rocky, and developed on limestone.
The mean temperature range in the study area goes from 12 to 14 °C, with a maximum of 33 °C, and a minimum of 0 °C, reaching −3 °C at high elevation. The mean annual precipitation is above 500 mm and can exceed 2000 mm at high mountain peaks [49 ]. As a whole, the rainfall patterns are distinctly Mediterranean, with approximately 90% of all precipitation falling between October and April, followed by a long summer drought.
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