Almost 60% of the whole territory is covered with woods, in the Calcareous Alps
and the Salzkammergut mostly mixed woods with beech and fir trees, partly also
sub-Alpine maple, yew and elm trees. Willow and alder trees are covering the
marshlands. The Alpine region is predominated by coniferous forests, mainly
spruce and larch trees. In the Tauern region you will find Alpine pines, dwarf
pines are typical for the calcareous plateaus. The timber line in the Central
Alps is at about 2,000m, in the Calcareous Alps at 1,700m. The Alpine pasture
region is located above (1,500m - 2,300m). Here the Alpine flora is most varied
and also protected, such as Alpine aster, Alpine flax, arnica, all kinds of
gentian, Alpine primrose and many more. Up to 2,400m there are single Alpine
pines, larchs and several kinds of dwarf pines. But here you can admire the
Alpine heathland: heather, blueberry, cranberry, reindeer and iceland lichen
and especially Alpine roses - in early summer time the Alpine pastures are
coloured red.
Huge lands were cleared for stock farming during the Middle ages. Today
there are lush green meadows with many different sorts of flowers. Most
impressive seem the meadows in the Ausseerland and Mariazeller region when the
time is right for the narcissus to flower.
In the Ennstal/Murtal valleys and on the Alpine terraces you still find high
marshlands with their characteristic plants, such as cotton grass, heather and
several kinds of marsh sedge.
