Species, live status, and diameter are important tree features for diversity and abundance of tree microhabitats in subnatural montane beech–fir forests1This article is one of a selection of papers from the International Symposium on Dynamics and Ecological Services of Deadwood in Forest Ecosystems.

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1433-1445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Larrieu ◽  
Alain Cabanettes

Because quantitative data on the distribution of whole microhabitat sets are still lacking to indirectly assess taxonomic biodiversity in forests, we studied the distribution of seven key microhabitat types in 10 montane European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) – silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.) forests (Pyrénées, France) that had not been harvested for several decades. We examined 2105 live trees and 526 snags. Frequencies of cavities and dendrothelms were significantly higher on live beech than on fir. Sap runs were strictly found on live fir. Frequencies of cracks and saproxylic fungi were significantly higher on snags than on live trees. Seventy percent of live beeches but only 18% of firs carried one or more microhabitats. For both beech and fir and for each microhabitat type, we found, using the recursive partitioning method, one to three diameter thresholds that each corresponded to a significant change in the probability of microhabitat presence. When considering the whole microhabitat set, the most significant diameter thresholds were 42, 60, 73, and 89 cm for beech and 99 cm for fir. We suggest that forest managers conserve (i) mixed stands and (ii) beech with a diameter at breast height >90 cm and fir >100 cm. These rules should be adapted for each forest ecosystem.

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 689-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Pretzsch ◽  
Torben Hilmers ◽  
Peter Biber ◽  
Admir Avdagić ◽  
Franz Binder ◽  
...  

In Europe, mixed mountain forests, primarily comprised of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), silver fir (Abies alba Mill.), and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), cover about 10 × 106 ha at elevations between ∼600 and 1600 m a.s.l. These forests provide invaluable ecosystem services. However, the growth of these forests and the competition among their main species are expected to be strongly affected by climate warming. In this study, we analyzed the growth development of spruce, fir, and beech in moist mixed mountain forests in Europe over the last 300 years. Based on tree-ring analyses on long-term observational plots, we found for all three species (i) a nondecelerating, linear diameter growth trend spanning more than 300 years; (ii) increased growth levels and trends, the latter being particularly pronounced for fir and beech; and (iii) an elevation-dependent change of fir and beech growth. Whereas in the past, the growth was highest at lower elevations, today’s growth is superior at higher elevations. This spatiotemporal pattern indicates significant changes in the growth and interspecific competition at the expense of spruce in mixed mountain forests. We discuss possible causes, consequences, and silvicultural implications of these distinct growth changes in mixed mountain forests.


Dendrobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 75-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ion Catalin Petritan ◽  
Victor-Vasile Mihăilă ◽  
Cosmin Ion Bragă ◽  
Marlène Boura ◽  
Diana Vasile ◽  
...  

Trees ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 337-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth-Kristina Magh ◽  
Michel Grün ◽  
Viola Elisa Knothe ◽  
Tobias Stubenazy ◽  
Javier Tejedor ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-89
Author(s):  
Nataliya O. Kryuchenko ◽  
Edward Ya. Zhovinsky ◽  
Petr S. Paparyga

he objective of the paper was determining biogeochemical peculiarities of ac- cumulation of chemical elements (Mn, Ni, Сo, V, Cr, Zr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ba, P) by wild-grow- ing shrubs (stems and leaves) – bog bilberry (Vaccіnium uliginоsum), European blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), alpine juniper (J. communis subsp. alpina); perennial herbaceous plants (flowers and leaves) – common tormentil (Potentіlla erecta (L.) Hampe), willow gentian (Gentiana asclepiadea), true sedges (Carex); and trees (needles) of European silver fir (Abies alba) on nine plots in the Svy- dovets Massif of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The results we obtained based on field surveys (selection of samples of soil and vegeta- tion) and interpretation of their analysis allowed us to determine the total regional background of chemical elements in soils and ash of plants using emission spectral analysis. We assessed the total concentration of chemical elements in soils of the plots (least to highest): the Apshynets Ridge – the Herashaska Polonyna – Drahobratske Lake – the Svydovets stream – Apshynets Lake – Herashaske Lake – the Zhuravlyne Bog – Vorozheske Lake (group of small lakes) – Vorozheske Lake (large) and determined the dependence on type of soil and pH. We determined that for wild-growing herbaceous plants the biogeochemical activity of species increases in the following sequence: true sedges - willow gentian - common tormentil; for wild-growing shrubs (bog bilberry, European blueberry, alpine juniper) such a sequence is impossible to determine due to the great difference between the values on different plots. We determined the role of each plant as medicinal for treating microelement deficiency in Cu, Zn, Co. We determined that in the plot of the Herashaska Polonyna, the needles of alpine juniper contain a maximum amount of Zn and Co, the needles and leaves of bog bilberry – Cu, Zn, Co; the flowers and leaves of common tormentil by Apshynets Lake and European silver fir near the area of the Svydovets stream – Cu. We calculated the daily dose of each element according to species of plants to overcome microelementosis. The results of biogeochemical surveys may be the basis for determining and recommending plants as medicinal, and also of geochemical and biogeochemical monitoring studies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzena Niemczyk ◽  
Anna Żółciak ◽  
Wrzesiński Piotr

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of common yew, Taxus baccata L., with respect to canopy openness. The plants were growing in ex-situ conservation plantations (established in 2008) in the understory of different tree species. Eleven forest plantations belonging to the following five forest districts were inventoried: Rokita, Baligród, Kołaczyce, Międzylesie and Henryków. In each plantation, the height and height increment of 200 yews were measured and gap light transmission indices were determined. The canopy species affecting yew growth most significantly were oak (Quercus sp.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), followed by Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.), silver fir (Abies alba L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The most favorable development of yew occurred at 30% canopy openness. An increasing light transmission index correlated with a decrease in the proportion of treelike yews. An insufficient amount of light resulted in a low height increment of yews growing under the canopy and an extended period of direct competition of yews with herbaceous species.


Author(s):  
J. Paluch ◽  
S. Keren ◽  
Z. Govedar

Abstract In this study, we analysed patterns of spatial variation in the basal area of live and dead trees and structural complexity in close-to-primeval forests in the Dinaric Mts. The results were compared with an analogous study conducted in the Western Carpathians. The research was carried out in the Janj, Lom and Perucića forest reserves (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in mixed-species stands of silver fir Abies alba Mill., European beech Fagus sylvatica L. and Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. In the core zones of the reserves, concentric sample plots (154 and 708 m2) were set in a regular 20 × 20 m grid covering approximately 10 ha. The analyses revealed varying distribution patterns of live canopy trees, suggesting that these characteristics may fluctuate to some extent at the regional level. At the spatial scale of 708 m2, attractive associations between dead canopy trees were found, but this tendency disappeared with increasing area. Although stands in the Dinaric Mts. are characterized by an almost twofold greater biomass accumulation compared to those from the Western Carpathians, the study revealed analogous bell-shaped distributions of stand basal areas of live trees and a very similar trend of decreasing variation in stand basal area and structural heterogeneity with increasing spatial scale. Nonetheless, the higher growing stocks, lower ratios of dead to live tree basal area and lower proportion of homogeneous structure types found in the Dinaric Mts. may suggest a less severe disturbance history over recent decades in this region compared to the Western Carpathians.


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