Natural disturbances represent one of the main management and scientific challenges faced by the forestry sector. Their role is increasing and changing with the growing impact of climate change. This review paper aims to provide a concise and up-to-date overview of scientific findings related to the role and functioning of natural disturbances in forest ecosystems, as well as their significance for forest ecosystem management and the sustainable provision of all forest functions. The article includes a review of recent research efforts and the evolving understanding of the function and role of natural disturbances. Additionally, it provides an overview of research results on various types of disturbances, with a particular focus on windthrows and barkbeetle outbreaks.

Mixed forests of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) play a vital ecological role in Central and South-Eastern Europe. This study investigates the diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in these forests, focusing on rhizosphere and bulk soils under varying canopy structures. Soil samples were collected from eight sites along the Carpathian Mountains, including managed forests and the remnants of old growth. Metabarcoding of bacterial communities revealed that alpha diversity (species richness, Shannon index, and evenness) was significantly affected by sampling location but not by forest canopy structure or soil type (rhizosphere and bulk soil). The lowest bacterial diversity was found in the old-growth forest of the Beskidy region, while the highest was recorded in managed forest in Vrancea. Beta diversity analyses showed minimal variation between rhizosphere and bulk soil bacterial communities, with geographic distance being the strongest predictor of community composition. Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla across all sites, with higher relative abundance of Actinobacteriota in all rhizosphere samples compared to bulk soil. Complex combinations of various environmental conditions at each sampling location, including soil parameters (mainly pH and C:N ratio), the age of forest gaps, the type and intensity of disturbances, and species composition of above-ground vegetation, can strongly affect soil bacterial communities. A closer examination of additional environmental variables would be necessary to better explain the observed differences in the diversity and composition of bacterial communities.

In Slovenia, the National Forest Inventory (NFI) is used to monitor the state and development of forests at the national level. In this paper, we analysed the diversity of tree and shrub species and assessed the presence of non-native tree species in Slovenian forests. According to the literature, Slovenia hosts 71 autochthonous tree species, of which 60 were found among the trees measured on the 2 x 2 km NFI density plot grid. The highest average number of trees and shrubs, as well as the Shannon-Wiener index of species diversity, were observed in sample plots located in the Pre-Alpine Ecological Region (H’ = 0.85), while the lowest values were found in the Alpine Ecological Region (H’ = 0.58). The total growing stock of trees and shrubs in Slovenia is 330.7 m3/ha ± 2.1%, with the growing stock of small trees and shrubs (less than 10 cm DBH for trees and shrubs) estimated at 9.7 m3/ha ± 5.9%. Common beech (Fagus sylvatica) (31.9%) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) (28.2%) dominate the growing stock of tree and shrub species, while common hazel (Corylus avellana) (85.0%) represents the highest proportion of shrub species. Ten different non-native tree species were identified across 138 NFI plots, with the highest distributions in the Sub-Mediterranean and Pre-Pannonian Ecological Regions. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) dominates the growing stock of non-native tree species. Among small trees (those with a DBH of less than 10 cm), common beech represents 32.4%, with Norway spruce and manna ash (Fraxinus ornus) each contributing more than 10.0%. The growing stock of small shrub species (shrubs with a DBH of less than 10 cm) is dominated by common hazel (Corylus avellana) with 78.3%, while more than 2% is also represented by cornel (Cornus mas), old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba) and elderberry (Sambucus nigra). The results show that the combination of a panel system, a large number of sample plots (3027) and an improved coding system enabled the first comprehensive and objective assessment of tree and shrub species diversity, as well as the presence of non-native species in Slovenian forests.

In this article, we analyze the forest land market in Slovenia over the past five years, using the Slovenian Real Estate Market Register as the primary data source. The proposed methodological approach enables the extraction of transactions involving only forest land. The analysis reveals an increase in forest land prices over time, statistically significant differences across statistical regions and generally high prices for forest land. To ensure the reliability of our results, we excluded outlier values, thus providing a more representative overview of the real estate market for forest land in Slovenia. The arithmetic mean of forest land prices in the entire database amounted to 2.82 EUR/m². However, after removing outliers, it dropped to 0.64 EUR/m², with a significantly lower standard deviation. Additionally, we observed a 17.31% increase in the median price of forest land at the national level over the five years, with significant variation across statistical regions. This research provides insights into the actual market conditions for forest land, which is valuable for both the general public and professionals, particularly real estate appraisers.