| Abstract
| - In the alpine timberline ecotone at 1350 m in the Craigieburn Range, New Zealand, four distinct mountain beech stand types (a pole, a coppice, a high forest and a shrublike stand) were analysed for stand biomass and leaf area by means of allomet-ric regressions based on stem diameter. Differences between stand types in terms of age, structure, biomass and leaf area are interpreted as development stages after stand breakdowns due to external impacts. Vegetative reproduction, mainly coppicing, plays an important part in stand regeneration. The young pole stand had 177 t ha−1, the coppice stand 272 t ha−1, and the mature high forest stand 323 t ha−1 aboveground dry weight. A low mountain beech shrub stand with gnarled, windshaped dwarf trees had only 135 t ha−1. Foliage accounted for only 3-5% in all stands, the leaf area index was also low, at 3.0 in the shrub stand and 3.7-7.4 in the forest stands. The low foliage proportion is considered to be a response to the harsh environment.
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