THE CHANGES IN MANAGED FIR FOREST IN BESKID MTS DUE TO FOREST MANAGEMENT AFTER 11 YEARS

Damian Chmura,Witold Bochenek,Anna Salachna

doi:10.5604/2081139x.1031521

Abstract

New phytosociological studies on permanent study plot (40 ´ 40 m) divided into 16 subplots in the managed forest were conducted in the upper part of basin of Bystrzanka (Beskid Niski Mts, SE Poland). The aim of the research was to determine the direction of changes in the Rubus hirtus-Abies alba community in the vicinity of the forest where forest management treatments are applied. It was recorded that the total number of species increased from 52 in 2000 to 80 in 2011. The DCA showed significant changes in species composition and the cover of species. Among others, the increase of forest edge species (epilobisation) and ruderal species (therophytization) and first of all the increase of meadow was observed. The structure of the community also changed; the mean cover of shrub species decreased.

Highlights

Forest management through timber exploitation, cultivation, silvopastoral system and even some methods of protection leads to changes in the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems
The cessation of any forest management practices mainly results in regeneration of forest phytocoenoses, increase of species richness, changes in proportion of ecological groups of species
Smaller number of publications are devoted to changes in managed and disturbed forests, in phytocoenoses difficult to classify in terms of syntaxonomical affiliation

Summary

Introduction

Forest management through timber exploitation, cultivation, silvopastoral system and even some methods of protection leads to changes in the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems. These changes occur in the vicinity of sites where forest treatments are performed. The cessation of any forest management practices mainly results in regeneration of forest phytocoenoses, increase of species richness, changes in proportion of ecological groups of species. There is a rich literature body on temporal changes in forests under protection [6, 8, 12]. Smaller number of publications are devoted to changes in managed and disturbed forests, in phytocoenoses difficult to classify in terms of syntaxonomical affiliation.

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