Adaption of Norway spruce and European beech forests under climate change: from resistance to close-to-nature silviculture

Abstract

In time of climate change, close-to-nature silviculture is growing in importance as a tool for future forest management. The paper study the tree layer and natural regeneration of monospecific Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.), trough mixed spruce-beech to dominant European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in Jizerské hory Mts., the Czech Republic. In the locality, shelterwood and selection system have been applied since 2000. The research objectives were to evaluate production parameters, structural diversity, species richness, natural regeneration dynamics and radial growth of individual tree species in relation to climatic factors and air pollution. The stand volume on permanent research plots amounted to 441 – 731 m3 ha−1 in initial stage of transformation. Natural regeneration showed high expansion of beech and decrease of spruce compared to mature tree species composition. Radial growth of spruce was in significant negative correlation with SO2 and NOX concentrations compared to no effect on beech increment. Moreover, spruce was more sensitive to significant years with extreme low radial growth. Beech was more stable in radial growth. Spruce was more resistant to air pollution and climatic stress in mixed stands. Low temperature was limiting factor of radial growth together with climate extremes (such as strong frosts and more frequent droughts) and biotic factors (bark beetle, beech scale). Close-to-nature management supporting admixed tree species should lead in future to diversification of stand structure toward higher species, spatial and age structure to mitigate negative effect of climatic change.

Effect of game browsing on natural regeneration of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in the Krušné hory Mts. (Czech Republic and Germany)

“…The specific objectives were to i) evaluate the quantity, silvicultural quality and structure of natural regeneration in 10 permanent research plots (PRPs), ii) compare species composition and diversity of natural regeneration and way (Barna 2004;Poleno et al 2009;Vacek et al 2015b). With its high adaptability, non-deformed root system (Mauer 2005) and, last but not least, its high number of individuals (Reininger 1992;Hájek et al 2020), natural regeneration is a prerequisite for seed, shelterwood and selection silvicultural systems (Slanař et al 2017;Vacek et al 2019b). The specifics of natural regeneration are based on the precisely timed moment of intersection of individual assumptions that ensure its origin (Jarčuška 2009;Barna 2011;Jarčuška 2011).…”

Uneven-aged silviculture of Scots pine in Bohemia and Central Spain: comparison study of stand reaction to transition and long-term selection management

“…In regard to the researched plots, some principal suggestions could be derived: in the conditions of municipality Plasy, the forest ecosystems are close to its limits. A transition to more close-to-nature uneven-aged forest is favourable for the decrease of inputs and for the increase of overall stand stability (Vacek et al 2019a). It is necessary to mention the problems with natural regeneration caused by browsing damages that could be partially solved by gradual change of tree species composition together with transition to irregular stand (Vacek et al 2014).…”

“…In the past decades, not only wood pro-duction, but socio-economic and biodiversity needs have become an importance (Šišák et al 2013). Subsequently, the rebuilding of even-aged stands to uneven-aged silviculture started to take place as a consequence of close-to-nature silviculture approach (Guldin 1996;Vacek et al 2019a). It is a viable model to reach more complex structure for Scots pine stands (Švec et al 2015;Bílek et al 2016).The attention to more ecological forestry in larger scale has been drawn relatively recently (Gillis 1990;O'Hara 2002), however, the methods have been…”

Qualitative and value production of tree species in mixed spruce-fir-beech stands under the conditions of the Western Carpathians

“…As a result, stems are often damaged when they are pulled out of the stand. Spruce and beech in the growing season are particularly sensitive (Vacek et al 2019(Vacek et al , 2019a. Higher proportion of damaged spruce trees in mixed stands compared to pure ones was also found by Petráš et al (2015).…”