Abstract
Research Highlights: This study highlighted the possibility of estimating the productivity of mountain sites (mixed beech-coniferous stands) based on tree and stand dendrometric characteristics. Background and Objectives: The mountainous region of Romania offers suitable conditions for the formation and development of mixed beech-coniferous stands with complex, multi-aged structures. Based on the dendrometric characteristics of the trees, established indicators were used to estimate the productivity of the sites, with other quantitative indicators being proposed to better capture the particularities of mixed multi-aged stands. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the productive potential of the sites, a combined in situ mapping method was applied. Laboratory analyses of soils, and information provided indirectly by indicator plant and tree overstories, led to the characterization of soil types and the identification of forest sites for study. The productivity of the sites was estimated using quantitative indicators established based on the dendrometric characteristics of the trees and stands. Results: Indicators based on stand production and growth are relevant for multi-aged stands of mixed beech-coniferous formation. The ratio between tree volume and the basal area is the result of basal area and height increments, both of which are variable and depend on the quality of the site. Thus, a form height stand can be used as an indicator to characterize the productivity of the site in mixed multi-aged stands. Conclusions: Knowing the ecological specificity of sites in the formation of mixed beech-coniferous forests is a first condition necessary to achieving stable stands that are able to continuously fulfill multiple functions. The favorability of forest sites for a certain assortment of species is a fundamental character of the sites, which is essential for the management of these forest formations.
Highlights
The way in which forest biocenoses manage to use the energetic, trophic, and hydric resources of a site is a consequence of their stability, resulting from the relationship between the structure of the stand and the site conditions
Site productivity is directly reflected in the dendrometric characteristics of trees and stands
While the height of one dominant species reflects the favorability of a site for that species, the other species may indicate a lower level of productivity, even though, overall, such stands have superior organization and great stability
Summary
The way in which forest biocenoses manage to use the energetic, trophic, and hydric resources of a site is a consequence of their stability, resulting from the relationship between the structure of the stand and the site conditions. Regardless of the function of the forest or the goals pursued in its management, the forest site characteristics become a condition for ensuring the stability of the forest, as they influence the health and vitality of trees and stands. All the component elements of a site, such as the geomorphological, edaphic, and climatic factors, determine the degree of favorability of the site for the forest vegetation. The edaphic and climatic elements express the extent to which a site meets the ecological requirements of the trees and, as a result, are of greater importance in determining the degree of favorability of a site [2]
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