Western Carpathian mountain spruce forest after a windthrow: Natural regeneration in cleared and uncleared areas

0342614 - ÚVGZ 2011 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Jonášová, Magda - Vávrová, Eva - Cudlín, Pavel
Western Carpathian mountain spruce forest after a windthrow: Natural regeneration in cleared and uncleared areas.
Forest Ecology and Management. Roč. 259, č. 1 (2010), s. 1121-1134. ISSN 0378-1127. E-ISSN 1872-7042
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520
Keywords : Carpathian spruce forest * Windthrow * Natural regeneration * Disturbances
Subject RIV: GK - Forestry
Impact factor: 1.992, year: 2010

A catastrophic windstorm called ‘‘bora’’ occurred in The Tatra National Park in Slovakia in 2004 and destroyed an extensive area of mountain spruce forests. Part of the windthrow area was left uncleared for natural development, but most of the area was cleared. We analyzed natural regeneration in cleared and uncleared windthrows, and in reference closed canopy forest in 2007 and 2008 with the aim of assessing the regeneration capability of the windthrown forests and proposing the best method for their restoration.The highest recruitment density was found in the reference area in closed canopy forest for both years (67,500 and 38,000 indiv./ha), while the lowest density was in cleared windthrow (3380 and 1210 indiv./ha). There were 8835 and 7225 indiv./ha in uncleared windthrow. Moreover, future stands in uncleared windthrow will be more diverse and probably more resistant against disturbances.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0185305