Due to climate changes, the interest in the post-fire recovery of forest communities not adapted to wildfires, such as Greek fir (Abies cephalonica) forests, has increased. In this study, the post-fire recovery of the burned A. cephalonica forest of Parnitha National Park (central Greece) was investigated after a stand-replacing fire occurred in summer 2007, as well as the performance of A. cephalonica plantings in the post-fire conditions. The research focused on the estimation of the A. cephalonica stand reproductive capacity without fire, the evaluation of the post-fire regeneration of the burned stands, and the monitoring of the plantations performance after the fire in the area. Then, based on the field and laboratory data, the post-fire recovery process of A. cephalonica was evaluated by application of a simplified form of the comprehensive causal framework for ecological succession estimation in open site, developed by Pickett et al. (1987), adapted to the study conditions. According to the findings of the study, stand seed crop without fire was high, while seed quality was found extremely low. In the burned area, no A. cephalonica seedling recruitment was observed during the three years after the fire. A. cephalonica plantings exhibited a medium overall survival rate (65.3%), while seedlings growth was very slow. Thus, we can suppose that an ecological succession process may occur in the burned area, if no human interventions applied, and species adapted to wildfires (mainly shrubs and herbaceous) will dominate in the area. However, planting of A. cephalonica seedlings could contribute to the species participation in the post-fire communities.

Pinus pinea L. (umbrella pine) is a tree species distributed around the Mediterranean basin. The ecological, landscape, recreational and soil conservation uses of P. pinea, and its aesthetic value, make this species important for landscape planning and multipurpose forestry. In this study, seeds of P. pinea were collected from the two principal forests where the species is found in Greece (the Strofylia Forest, southern Greece, and the Sithonia Peninsula, northern Greece), in order to examine the effects of light conditions and soil salinity, two important environmental factors, on seed germination behaviour and early growth. The effect of light alone on seed germination was ascertained under different light regimes; while, to investigate the effect of salinity, seeds maintained in continuous light were watered with varying concentrations of NaCl and, after germination, the early growth of seedlings was monitored. The findings showed that the percentage germination of P. pinea seed is high and does not depend on light or dark conditions, while salinity markedly inhibited seed germination at NaCl concentrations of 0.05 M and above. Seedlings raised under saline conditions (0.02 M NaCl) were significantly smaller than those of the controls, especially in their below-ground structures.