Beech mast is a good indicator of long-term rodent abundance in Northern German afforestation areas. However, rodent damage to forestry in Central Germany did not seem to depend on environmental parameters other than rodent abundance at large scale. As a result, there is still uncertainty about the link between environmental predictors and rodent damage to forestry, and further experimental work is required to identify suitable environmental drivers and their interplay with other potential factors such as the local predator community. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

ABSTRACT:The paper deals with the study of bionomics and population dynamics of Ips typographus (L.) in the area of the Praděd National Nature Reserve (NNR). Data were collected on the basis of detected feeding marks, beetles caught in traps, and also according to the frequency of occurrence or increase in the number of standing dead trees killed by the bark beetle attack in localities where sanitation felling was not performed. Finally, evaluation of the present condition of forest stand and population dynamics of Ips typographus was carried out. The results showed that the stands currently occur in the stage of disintegration when the role of the bark beetle is irreplaceable. Based on the research findings, the management of the bark beetle was proposed that would enable to achieve so-called regulated disintegration of natural spruce forests in the area of the Praděd NNR.

ČERMáK, P., PLAšIL, P., PETLACH, R.: Evaluation of the response of Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) Karst. on synergetic effects of abiotic and anthropogenic stress factors in two localities of the Drahany highland. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2005, LIII, No. 1, pp. 59-70 The paper deals with the evaluation of the response of spruce stands on the effect of climatic and anthropogenic factors in two localities predominantly of the 4th forest vegetation zone (fvz) of the Drahany Highland -Forest Range (FR) Proklest, Training Forest Enterprise (TFE) "Masaryk Forest" Křtiny and Forest Range Senetářov, Forests of the CR, Forest District (FD) Tišnov. The evaluation was carried out on the basis of monitoring according to the ICP Forests Programme completed by the determination of the crown structure transformation (CUDLÍN et al., 2001a). This methodology makes possible to estimate retrospective responses of a stand on the actual combination of stress factors as well as its present adaptation potential. In total, 35 circular research plots were monitored (13 FR Proklest, 22 FR Senetářov) with 700 trees in stands dominated by spruce at an age of 79-122 years. Total defoliation ranged between 29.5 and 37% (as an average of the research plots), defoliation of a primary structure in a broad range of 49-85.5%. The average degree of crown structure transformation was 1.57 and 1.6 in FR Proklest and FR Senetářov, respectively. In stands under monitoring, environmental factors manifest themselves differently. Part of the stands (particularly FR Proklest) was affected mainly by unfavourable climatic conditions in the course of several recent years. As for other stands, it is possible to notice further impacts of synergetic effects of stress factors. Forest decline as the result of synergetic effects of abiotic, biotic and anthropogenic factors is a phenomenon which will be obviously encountered with increasing frequency (thanks to persisting negative impacts of man and thanks to changing climatic conditions). Since the 80s of the 20th century, therefore, an effort occurs in forest science to obtain more comprehensive characteristics describing health conditions of a tree and the level of its resistance potential. As indicators making possible to describe or interpret response of spruce to the complex of stress factors those characteristics are most frequently used which monitor the condition of crowns (e.g. defoliation) and needles (damage to needles, colour changes, number of needle year-classes etc.). An extensive monitoring of the condition of crowns occurs in Europe since 1986 in