Abstract
Biogradska Gora National Park in Montenegro is part of the Bjelasica Mountain which belongs to the montane region of the Dinaric Alps. Biogradska Gora is one of the largest long-term preserved forests in the Southeast Europe. In this paper there were compared the main structural characteristics of the old-growth mixed forest of spruce (Picea abies L.), fir (Abies alba L.) and beech (Fagus moesiaca (Domin, Maly) Czecz.), from the preserved area of the Biogradska Gora, with similar managed forests from the same mountain. Basic insight into the structural characteristics of forests of spruce, fir and beech was obtained by analyzing tree species composition and two basic structural elements - number of trees and wood volume per unit area. The obtained data provides overview of the structural characteristics of these forests. The results revealed the production potential of the studied mixed forests. The average quantity of standing volume in old-growth forests of Biogradska Gora indicates very valuable and productive forest ecosystems. Presented data shows that forest ecosystems of spruce, fir and beech in the protected area of the National Park Biogradska Gora are characterized by structurally irregular forests with presence of old trees with relevant growing stock and optimal balance of beech and conifer species, while in managed forests on the same mountain, growing stock is very low and with structure which is far from optimal.
Highlights
Mixed mountain forests of beech (Fagus moesiaca (Domin, Maly) Czecz.), fir (Abies alba L.) and spruce (Picea abies L.) represent one of the major forest types in Eastern and Southeast Europe (Horvat et al, 1974; O’Hara et al, 2018)
Biogradska Gora National Park in Montenegro is part of the Bjelasica Mountain which belongs to the montane region of the Dinaric Alps
The main goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the structural characteristics of the mixed forests of beech, fir and spruce in Biogradska Gora National Park as a realistic basis for close-to-nature management of similar stands
Summary
Mixed mountain forests of beech (Fagus moesiaca (Domin, Maly) Czecz.), fir (Abies alba L.) and spruce (Picea abies L.) represent one of the major forest types in Eastern and Southeast Europe (Horvat et al, 1974; O’Hara et al, 2018). The three-dominant forests of beech, fir and spruce Received in revised form: 18 Aug 2020.
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