Computer Tomography in Wood-Decay Assessment of Silver Fir (Abies Alba Mill.) Stands in the Polish Part of the Carpathians

Abstract

Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is one of the major tree species (with beech and spruce) in the Polish Carpathians which during the last twenty years significantly improved its vitality. In our study we analyzed the degree of fir stands infestation by fungal pathogens using computer tomography. The test stands at age from 60 to 200 years were located in four different parts of the Polish Carpathians. Our results confirmed large share of fir trees in selected stands with wood decay that was proportionally increasing with stand age. It was also found that the percentage of silver fir with damaged wood by fungal pathogens was similar, and in some stands even bigger than of the Norway spruce, which is generally considered to be susceptible to damage by fungi. Among inspected silver fir trees in seed stands we found also some healthy individuals despite their age above 150 years. We suggest further investigations to determine potential differences between silver fir and Norway spruce in damages caused by fungi in Carpathian forests.