Riverside forests at the river corridor Lech

The riverside forests at the River Lech are subjected to significant dynamics of soil and vegetation. For the development of societies not only the elevation above the river and the water level are important, but speed of fluid and the suspend matter too.
Depending on the speed of fluid and the sedimentation we can see a different succession of plants. Starting from similar pioneer societies secondary societies are developing differently.

Succession of habitats that depend on the type of substratum.

Stones and gravel	Sand	Silt, clay, influence of groundwater 	
Salici Myricarietum	Salici Myricarietum	Salici Myricarietum	
Erico Pinetum sylvestis	Pinetum sylvestis with Alnus incanus	Salici Alnetum	
Salicetum development 	Erico-Molinio- Pinetum	Salicetum typicum	
Salicetum with moss and lichens development 		Fraxinetum	

Habitats that depend on type on aggregation of materials

Deposit	Accrete	Subside	
Riverbed gravel	Sand, fluiding water	Sludge, standing water	
Agrostis alba society	Heleocharis-Limosella society	Nuphar society	
Salix bushes	Salix bushes	Phalaridetum	
Salicetum albae	Deep Salicetum albae	Salix bushes	
	High Salicetum albae	Deep Salicetum	
	High Alnetum incanae	Deep Alnetum	
	Fraxinus excelsioris	Deep Fraxino – Quercetum	
	Fraxinus – Ulmus – Quercus forest		

The connection between the development of soil and vegetation was studied at the river Lech and the river Isar near Munich but not on all places soil and vegetation pass through all succession phases. Particularly near the river we often can register a regressive naturally development as a result of erosion. Also anthropogenic degradations cause a declining development and according to the intensity of human impact we can find substitute plant societies. Normally, softwood riverside-forests have a fast pass through succession phases Due to higher sites of hardwood forests the water level is more constant, therefore the succession happens slower. 

Habitats that depend on the type of soil and elevation

Typical of soil	Societies	Duration of succession phases	
Brown lime – forest soil	Galio Quercetum
Galio Carpinetum	4000 – 5000a	
Mull-lime
Riverside soil	Fraxino Ulmetum	4000a	
Grey brown lime soil	Alnetum incanae
Loniceretosum with Molinia	100a	
Grey lime soil	Alnetum incanae loniceretosum	50a	
Light grey lime soil	Alnetum incanae typicum	25 J.	
Rough lime soil	Salicetum albo-fragilis	25 J.	
Rough soil
Alluvial lithosol	Senecio fluviatilis	5 J.	

Today we can register nearly no naturally dynamic of riverside forests in 	Middle- Europe as a result of flood regulations by human – as a consequence of barriers and dams at the river Lech the water engraved 1,5 m deeper over the last decades. The periodical sedimentation of the river decreased, erosion and in this case a degradation on some places started. Since 2001 the Lech river and its corridor became Natura 2000 status. A restoration of the river in connection with a removing of dams and barriers started.