Deliberation over species change in a monodominant sessile oak stand (Quercetum petraeae Cer. et Jov. 1953., subass. tilietosum) - A case study in ”Djerdap” National Park

Abstract

Stand structure analysis was conducted before and after natural regeneration (on the same plot) on a site of monodominant sessile oak forest (Quercetum petraeae Cer. et Jov. 1953., subass. tilietosum). In this stage individual old sessile oak trees were still remaining in the stand. Before the regeneration in the 150-yr-old stand in 1992 only sessile oak was rep?resented in the upperstorey. The trees mostly had irregularly developed crowns and reduced growth potential. These were the elements used in planning the regeneration in management plans. Besides the remaining individual old sessile oak trees, silver lime dominates in the young stand in 2017. In the stand structure there is no biological potential of sessile oak trees that could represent the basis for further development because the sessile oak trees are suppressed by silver lime towards the understorey and even the herb layer. Because of the undefined significance of the silver lime in the stand, transient management was prescribed in the man?agement plan so a reconstrucion of the stand should follow in one of the next management periods in order to restore sessile oak on the site as it was suppressed due to an inedequate regeneration procedure. On the basis of the studied stand structure of the young stand, the abandonment of the transient management concept is recommended and introduction of the intensive management approach of slver lime in the current rotation. This was based on the available number of silver lime trees of good quality in the stand, i.e. the aspirants for tending by means of selective thinning and their strong growth response four years after selective thinning. Old sessile oak trees that are still present in the stand are only a simulacrum of the continuity of the current stand with the previous one and they should be removed by means of intensive and rationalized tending of silver lime, and partly integrated in the silver lime stand.