Polish Mountain Forests: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

Mountains occupy only 3% of Poland. They are the northern part of the European arc of the Carpathian and Sudety Mountains, extending about 700 km along the southern Polish border. They are of medium height (about 1500 m, maximum 2600 m a.s.l.), and have diversified climate, geology, soils, vegetation, and anthropogenic impacts. The forest vegetation of the Sudety and Carpathian Mountains form three elevational zones. Forests occur in the foothills (as high as about 600 m a.s.l.), the lower mountain forest zone (as high as about 1250 m a.s.l.) and the upper montane forest zone (as high as 1500 m a.s.l.). The original lower mountain forests consisted mainly of fir ( Abies alba Mill.) and beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.), while upper montane forests contained spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Centuries of economic activity have changed the species composition of mountain forests. Spruce has increased considerably, and the percentage of fir and beech has decreased significantly. In the Sudety and western part of the Carpathians spruce is the most prevalent (as high as 83%), while in the eastern part of the Carpathians it does not exceed 10%. The percentage of beech in the Sudeten and western Carpathian forests is less than 20%, while it is about 40% in the eastern part of the Carpathians. Severe weather conditions, frequently poor habitats, and improper management and considerable air pollution occurring in the past 50 years, followed by infestations of primary and secondary insects and spread of parasitic fungi, have led to considerable destruction of these mountain forests. According to forecasts the area of totally destroyed and severely damaged mountain forests will increase considerably through 2010. Deterioration of forest health will proceed from west to east. Protection of forest health against deterioration requires reduction of industrial emissions, changing existing forests into genotypes that are less sensitive to air pollution and more compatible with local habitats, and recultivation of deteriorated forests.