Soldanello-Piceetum is a spruce forest type with a species-poor herb layer composed of the ericoid shrubs Vaccinium myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea, the grasses Avenella flexuosa and Calamagrostis villosa and acidophilous shade-tolerant ferns and herbs. The cover of the moss layer usually exceeds 50%; it is characterized by extensive mats of the hepatic Bazzania trilobata, hygrophilous mosses characteristic of initial peat formation on forest soil, e.g. Polytrichum commune and Sphagnum spp., and also bryophytes of mesic forest soils. It occurs at the bottoms of broad valleys and basins in the submontane and montane belts, most often in the altitudinal range of 700–1000 m. These habitats are characterized by high humidity and frequent accumulations of cold air. Many sites occur near the margins of mires and the water table is high. This association occurs in most mountainous areas of the Czech Republic, but in many cases it is only developed on a small scale.