Mountain beech forest is largely confined to sites east of major mountain ranges where dry föhn winds and cold temperatures produce highly stressful conditions.

Silver beech, Hall’s tōtara, kāpuka/broadleaf and pōkākā occur sporadically at lower elevations and/or where rainfall is higher, but mountain beech occurs alone on the most stress-prone sites.

The expected natural range of mountain beech forest is 1,165,179 hectares, most notably around the South Island’s southern lakes, in inland Canterbury and those parts of the Kaimanawa Mountains that lie east of the Tongariro volcanoes.

More about Beech forests (in general) can be found here.

*area this ecosystem could occupy without the presence of people.