Natural development and regeneration of a Central European montane spruce forest

Miroslav Svoboda; Shawn Fraver; Pavel Janda; Radek Bače; Jitka Zenáhlíková

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2010.05.027

Treesearch

Natural development and regeneration of a Central European montane spruce forest

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Miroslav Svoboda, Shawn Fraver, Pavel Janda, Radek Bače, Jitka Zenáhlíková

Year:

2010

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Northern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.05.027

Source:

Forest Ecology and Management 260: 707-714.

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Abstract

Montane Norway spruce forests of Central Europe have a very long tradition of use for timber production; however, recently there has been increasing concern for their role in maintaining biological diversity. This concern, coupled with recent severe windstorms that led to wide-spread bark beetle outbreaks, has brought the management of montane spruce forests to the forefront of public policy discussions in Central Europe. In order to shed light on the natural development and current structure of mature montane spruce forests, we established four 0.25 ha research plots in a semi-natural montane spruce forest in the Sumava Mountains (The Bohemian Forest), Czech Republic. We mapped all trees, extracted increment cores for age and growth-pattern analyses, and inventoried all current tree regeneration, including the substrates on which it was found.

Keywords

bark beetle, competition, dendrochronology, dead wood, stem-mapped plots, wind disturbance

Citation

Svoboda, Miroslav; Fraver, Shawn; Janda, Pavel; Bače, Radek; Zenáhlíková, Jitka. 2010. Natural development and regeneration of a Central European montane spruce forest. Forest Ecology and Management 260: 707-714.