Structure of coarse woody debris in Lange-Leitn Natural Forest Reserve, Austria

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The amount, variability and quality of coarse woody debris (CWD) in an oak-dominated natural forest reserve in Austria were studied in 2006. The average volume of CWD (snags and logs) was 107.3 m 3 /ha, which accounted for 39% of the total living volume. Among the CWD, on average, 23.4 m 3 /ha (22%) were snags and 83.9 m 3 /ha (78%) were logs. According to quality aspects the CWD displayed a wide range of variation in tree species, tree size, stage of decay, and structural characteristics, creating a high diversity of CWD habitats for microorganisms. Among the three forest associations, the highest amount of CWD was found in the mesic Galio sylvatici-Carpinetum association. The results of this study are discussed as reference values for a close-to-nature management of oak-dominated broadleaved submontane forests emphasizing conservation management.

First signs of old-growth structure and composition of an oak forest after four decades of abandonment

“…Numerous papers discuss their composition (Chiavetta et al 2012), amount of large trees (Nilsson et al 2002), dead wood characteristics (Bobiec 2002;Nilsson et al 2002, Christensen et al 2005, Piovesan et al 2005, Vandekerkhove et al 2009), stand structure (Piovesan et al 2005, Westphal et al 2006, Horváth et al 2012, biodiversity (Ódor et al 2006, Heilmann-Clausen et al 2014, dynamics and history (Koop & Hilgen 1987, Korpeľ 1995, Standovár & Kenderes 2003. On the contrary, virgin or old-growth oak stands are extremely rare in Europe, especially on dry and dry-mesic sites (Parviainen 2005, Rahman et al 2008, Veen et al 2010, Petritan et al 2013, Saniga et al 2014). …”

“…The scarcity of old-growth or virgin oak stands on dry and dry-mesic forest sites as natural references, and missing published information on them creates conceptual obstacles for nature conservation and close-to-nature forest management (Rahman et al 2008), especially where natural regeneration of the dominant oak species is missing. This scientific obstacle presumably could be overcome by the comprehensive and detailed investigation of abandoned dry-mesic oak forests (Horváth et al 2012).…”

“…Several stands in Europe are ceased to be managed from different reasons, like designation as conservation area, or economic considerations. Long-term research of the abandoned oak stands is crucial to provide useful information for the sustainable and close-to-nature forest management of oak dominated forests of Europe (Rahman et al 2008), active conservation supporting their structural and functional complexity and maintaining biodiversity (Carvalho 2011, Petritan et al 2013, and understanding of natural disturbance regimes and natural shifts in their tree composition.…”

“…The majority of the European examples are mesic Quercus robur L. dominated forests, like Białowieża in Poland (Faliński 1986), and mesic Q. petraea forests, as Kasivárová and Bujanov in Slovakia (Saniga et al 2014), mixed Q. petraea forest of Runcu-Grosi Natural Reserve, Romania (Petritan et al 2012), and most of the stands of Lange-Leitn Natural Forest Reserve in Austria (Rahman et al 2008). Well-documented old-growth forests on dry-mesic sites are the most relevant references, as the virgin Q. petraea dominated Boky National Nature Reserve in Slovakia (Saniga & Shütz 2002, Halamová & Saniga 2006, Saniga et al 2014, the mature Q. robur-Q.…”

Structure and Spatial Distribution of Dead Wood in Two Temperate Old-Growth Mixed European Beech Forests

“…Although old-growth forests may serve as a reference for managed forests, providing important information for conservation and promoting biodiversity, few studies have examined quantity and quality (dead wood types, decay classes), size class distribution and spatial patterns of dead trees in natural forests (Oheimb et al, 2007;Rahman et al, 2008;Amanzadeh et al, 2013), mainly due to the scarcity and inaccessibility of remnant virgin forests. In particular, this applies to remnant natural beech forests in Southeastern Europe.…”