Seven decades of change in a European old-growth forest following a stand-replacing wind disturbance: A long-term case study

Jaloviar, Peter; Saniga, Milan; Kucbel, Stanislav; Pittner, Ján; Vencurik, Jaroslav; Dovčiak, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2017.05.036

Cited by 40 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The spatial extent of canopy gaps, reaching large gaps as a result of stand-replacing disturbances to single-tree gaps, is one of the most important parameters that determines the possible successional pathways in forest stand [13,38,74]. In our study, in relation to the massive onset of regeneration processes, only openings created by the mortality of three and more trees were relevant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Researchers from European countries (e.g., [7,13,14,[56][57][58]) have reported the phenomenon of common beech expansion at the expense of conifers. Although the conifers' longevity and large dimensions partially compensate for their less abundant regeneration and decreasing stem density, the progressive increase in the share of common beech was evident in NNR Dobročský prales as well [59].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current development trend of tree species composition in the mixed old-growth forests shows the massive expansion of beech at the expense of other species. As expansion is probably caused by the interaction of indirect anthropogenic and natural factors [13,82,83], it is up to the forest managers to consider the resulting composition of forest stand. In this forest type, small-scale regeneration methods, such as single tree or group selection systems correspond best to natural regeneration for shade-tolerant tree species such as silver fir and common beech.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are numerous studies confirming the decline of conifer species (silver fir, Norway spruce) in tree species mixtures [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. On the contrary, many authors make reference to the increasing dominance of common beech observed in forests across Europe [7,13,14]. Responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances in mixed stands are usually very complicated and each tree species can respond to similar disturbances with different intensities [15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Structural Diversity in a Mixed Spruce-Fir-Beech Old-Growth Forest Remnant of the Western Carpathians

Parobeková

Pittner

Kucbel

et al. 2018

Forests

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Old-growth forests are a unique source of information for close-to-nature silviculture. In the National Nature Reserve Dobročský prales (Slovakia), a remnant of mixed old-growth forests of the Western Carpathians, we analyzed changes in tree species composition, stand structure, and creation and closure of canopy gaps. The results were based on data from forest inventories of an entire reserve conducted in 1978 and 2015, extended by detailed measurements in a research plot of 250 × 250 m. We observed the expansion of common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) at the expense of conifers (Abies alba Mill., Picea abies L. Karst.) in all layers of the stand. Due to a lack of conifers in the category of saplings >130 cm and an abundance of coniferous deadwood, we hypothesize that this development will lead to the dominance of beech. All development stages revealed a reverse J-shaped diameter structure; however, they differed in the majority of basic stand characteristics (e.g., growing stock, basal area, tree density, deadwood volume). Most of the structural indices did not differ between development stages, confirming a relatively high degree of structural differentiation throughout the development cycle. The total gap area reached 18%, with the dominance of small gaps ≤100 m 2 . Nevertheless, only canopy gaps >100 m 2 formed by the mortality of three or more trees were of higher importance for the extensive establishment of natural regeneration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Structural Diversity in a Mixed Spruce-Fir-Beech Old-Growth Forest Remnant of the Western Carpathians

Parobeková

Pittner

Kucbel

et al. 2018

Forests

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“…Our results from historical analyses in both of the study sites confirmed this fact. This founding is important in the frame of historical background of European mountain forests, where generally old-growth forests originally co-dominated by fir and beech appear to be transitioning to forests dominated by beech, regardless of the disturbance history, which suggest that beech expansion may be a robust process (Jaloviar et al 2017). From the nature conservation point of view, the return of fir as a natural component of mountain beech forest in the nature reserve would be desirable (Kral et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Joining of the historical research and future prediction as a support tool for the assessment of management strategy for European beech-dominated forests in protected areas

Machar¹,

Voženílek²,

Simon³

et al. 2017

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Citation: Machar I, Vozenilek V, Simon J, Pechanec V, Brus J, Fulneček P, Vitek T (2017) Joining of the historical research and future prediction as a support tool for the assessment of management strategy for European beech-dominated forests in protected areas. Nature Conservation 22: 51-78. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.22.12902 AbstractEuropean beech-dominated forests are crucial for maintaining biodiversity in forested mountain landscapes of the European temperate zone. This paper presents the results of research and assessment of management strategy for mountain beech-dominated forests in the Jeseníky Mountains (Czech Republic). Our approach is based on combining research on historical development of the forest ecosystem, assessment of its current state, and predictions of future dynamics using a forest growth simulation model. Using such a method makes it possible to understand the current state of the mountain beech-dominated forest ecosystem and predict its future development as a response to specific management strategies. The application of this method is therefore appropriate for assessing the suitability of selected management strategies in mountain protected areas. Our results show that a non-intervention management for mountain beech forest in the next 80 years complies with the Natura 2000 requirement to maintain the existing character of the forest habitat. Thus, the current management plan for the beech-dominated forests in the Jeseníky Mountains does not require significant corrections in the context of its conservation targets (i.e. maintaining biodiversity and current character of the forest ecosystem dominated by beech). The results of this study suggest that combining the knowledge on historical development with forest growth simulation can be used as a suitable support tool to assess management strategies for forest habitats in protected areas. RESEARCH ARTICLE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation A peer-reviewed open-access journalIvo Machar et al. / Nature Conservation 22: 51-78 (2017) 52

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Natural disturbance regimes as a guide for sustainable forest management in Europe

Aszalós

Thom

Aakala

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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In Europe, forest management has controlled forest dynamics to sustain commodity production over multiple centuries. Yet over-regulation for growth and yield diminishes resilience to environmental stress as well as threatens biodiversity, leading to increasing forest susceptibility to an array of disturbances. These trends have stimulated interest in alternative management systems, including natural dynamics silviculture (NDS). NDS aims to emulate natural disturbance dynamics at stand and landscape scales through silvicultural manipulations of forest structure and landscape patterns. We adapted a "Comparability Index" (CI) to assess convergence/divergence between natural disturbances and forest management effects. We extended the original CI concept based on disturbance size and frequency by adding the residual structure of canopy trees after a disturbance as a third dimension. We populated the model by compiling data on natural disturbance dynamics and management from 13 countries in Europe, covering four major forest types (i.e., spruce, beech, oak, and pine-dominated forests). We found that natural disturbances are highly variable in size, frequency, and residual structure, but European forest management fails to encompass this complexity. Silviculture in Europe is skewed toward even-aged systems, used predominately (72.9% of management) across the countries assessed. The residual structure proved crucial in the comparison of natural disturbances and silvicultural systems. CI indicated the highest congruence between uneven-aged silvicultural systems and key natural disturbance attributes. Even so, uneven-aged practices emulated only a portion of the complexity associated with natural disturbance effects. The remaining silvicultural systems perform poorly in terms of retention compared to tree survivorship after natural disturbances. We suggest that NDS can enrich Europe's portfolio of management systems, for example where wood production is not the primary objective. NDS is especially relevant to forests managed for habitat quality, risk reduction, and a variety of ecosystem services. We suggest a holistic approach integrating NDS with more conventional practices.

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Seven decades of change in a European old-growth forest following a stand-replacing wind disturbance: A long-term case study

Cited by 40 publications

References 49 publications

Structural Diversity in a Mixed Spruce-Fir-Beech Old-Growth Forest Remnant of the Western Carpathians

Structural Diversity in a Mixed Spruce-Fir-Beech Old-Growth Forest Remnant of the Western Carpathians

Joining of the historical research and future prediction as a support tool for the assessment of management strategy for European beech-dominated forests in protected areas

Natural disturbance regimes as a guide for sustainable forest management in Europe

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