Abstract
Natural forest reserves provide a rare opportunity to study forest dynamics after the cessation of human management. Inventories were carried out in 1996 and 2006 in an oak (Quercus spp.) dominated forest reserve formerly managed as coppice forest using the Bitterlich sampling method, an inventory method with a fixed angle of sight to select trees based on their stem diameter. The total living stand volume increased from 245.2 to 276.5 m3/ha (+12.8%) over the 10-year period. This net increase resulted from the growth of individual trees (+3.7%), the ingrowths of young trees (+17.7%) and tree mortality between 1996 and 2006 (−8.6%). Tree mortality included 14.8 m3/ha of standing deadwood and 6.2 m3/ha of fallen deadwood. Stand dynamics differed among tree species: the volume of oak (Quercus spp.) increased due to strong growth and low mortality, whereas hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) showed a decrease in stand volume due to high mortality and low growth. The findings suggest an increase in oak dominance at the expense of hornbeam although inventories repeated over longer time periods would be needed for confirmation. Our data indicate that the Bitterlich sampling method can be used for assessing tree species dynamics and structural changes in natural forest reserves, but some important processes (seedling recruitment, wood decomposition) would need to be investigated separately.
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