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Povzetek: Forest understory vegetation is largely influenced by disturbances and given local abiotic conditions. Our research focuses on the early response of understory vegetation to various forest management intensities in Dinaric fir-beech forests in Slovenia: (i) control, (ii) 50% cut of stand growing stock, and (iii) 100% cut of stand growing stock. Apart from identifying overstory removal effects, we were interested in fine-scale variation of understory vegetation and environmental determinants of its species composition. Vegetation was sampled within 27 karst sinkholes, which represent a dominant landform in studied forests. Within each sinkhole, five sampling plots, varying in slope aspect (centre, north, east, south, west), were established (135 in total), where pre-treatment (in 2012) and post-treatment (in 2014) floristic surveys were conducted. The sampled understory species were characterized in terms of Ellenberg's indicator values (EIVs) and plant functional traits (plant height, seed mass, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content). Diversity metrics (species richness, total cover, Shannon index) increased in plots where the silvicultural measures were applied. Tree species richness also increased in 100% cutting. A redundancy analysis revealed that species composition was related to environmental variables, which are directly influenced by management interventions (overstory canopy cover, microclimate maximum daily temperature, soil properties thickness of organic soil layer) as well as by topographic factors (slope inclination and surface rockiness). EIVs for light were significantly affected by treatment intensity, whereas soil-related EIVs (moisture, reaction, nutrients) depended more on the within-sinkhole position. Canopy gaps, compared with uncut control plots, hosted a higher number of colonizing species with a higher plant height and smaller seeds, while leaf traits did not show a clear response. We found a negative correlation between pre-treatment species (functional) richness and post-treatment shifts in floristic (functional) composition. Plots with higher richness exhibited smaller changes compared with species-poor communities. Incorporating different perspectives, the results of this study offer valuable insights into patterns of understory vegetation response to forest management in fir-beech forests.
Ključne besede: canopy gap, microsite environment, Ellenberg indicator values, plant functional traits, compositional resistance, karst topography, fir-beech forest
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 06.12.2019; Ogledov: 2571; Prenosov: 1633
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Povzetek: In recent decades, the conservation of biodiversity has become one of the main areas under consideration in managing forests in an ecologically sustainable way. Forest management practices are primary drivers of diversity and may enhance or decrease forest biodiversity, according to the measures applied (thinning options). We have focused on three beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests across a latitudinal gradient in Italy, characterised by different structures resulting from dissimilar management. We tested the short-term effects of differently-based silvicultural intervention vs. stands where no silvicultural practices were applied on biodiversity indicators and related proxies: deadwood amounts, microhabitat density, floristic richness and life form abundance. In each study area, the occurrence of the above indicators and proxies was evaluated before and after the implementation of crop tree thinning (CTT) and thinning from below (LT) methods, comparing them with control areas where no interventions were performed. After two years, the management options resulted in different responses of the investigated parameters. The CTT increased deadwood amounts in comparison with the LT ones, while stumps increased significantly after the LT thinning. Microhabitats increased significantly where intervention was not undertaken. On the contrary, they remained unaltered after the LT treatments. CTT thinning created favourable conditions for the development of microhabitats and their proliferation in the long term. Two years after the application of the CTT thinning treatment, all forest stands demonstrated a significant increase in their floristic richness and herb layer cover. Significant differences were also found in both the frequency and cover of life forms in relation to silvicultural treatment. These findings provide a better understanding of short-term effects of silvicultural treatment useful for maintaining biodiversity in mountain beech forests.
Ključne besede: deadwood, microhabitats, understory vegetation, mountain forests, sustainable forest management, Italian forests
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 04.10.2018; Ogledov: 2752; Prenosov: 1779
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Povzetek: Forest damages caused by red deer and some other large herbivore species occasionally feeding on tree bark, are a grave ecological and economic problem in many parts of the world. Winter supplemental feeding is commonly used to mitigate the problem, but its effects are poorly known. This study, carried out at Pohorje (Slovenia) and including over 2,300 trees, used binary logistic regression to analyse the effects of supplemental feeding and many other factors on the probability of bark stripping on spruce. The probability of bark stripping depends on distance from the forest edge, density, age and tree species diversity of stands, slope and aspect of terrain, and red deer density; contrary to expectations, it is not related to distance from feeding places. As much as 35% of spruce trees were damaged. The damage was the highest in younger, denser pure spruce stands, whose favourable protective and microclimatic conditions (thinner snow cover, higher effective temperatures) make them a preferred winter habitat for red deer. They contain,however, little other food but bark. To prevent / diminish bark stripping we propose a stronger thinning of such stands. Supplemental feeding may reduce damage only in exceptional cases, when animals are lured and concentrated in less sensitive areas, but in general we advise against the use of this measure due to its other negative effects.
Ključne besede: red deer, Cervus elaphus, bark stripping, Norway spruce, Picea abies, forest damages, supplemental feeding, Slovenia, environmental factors
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 12.07.2017; Ogledov: 4467; Prenosov: 1978
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Povzetek: The Granata research site was established for the study of structure, growth and regeneration of silver fir-European beech single stem selection forest. Three phytocoenological relevés were carried out, all trees ?5 cm diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) were measured by full callipering, tree growth was analysed for sample trees, regeneration of tree species was registered on 63 sampling plots. In addition, historical data from past forest inventories werestudied. In the period from 1952 to 2003, the share of silver fir has decreased from 86% to 26%, the share of Norway spruce increased significantly,whereas the share of beech and sycamore has slightly increased. The current growing stock amounts to 350 m3 ha-1, with large-size diameter trees (d.b.h. ?50 cm) representing 51% of total growing stock. The site is divided into 16 stand patches with significant differences in tree species composition and diameter distribution. Regeneration is sufficient with silver fir prevailing in total number of seedlings (42%). 23% of all seedlings are damaged as a result of game browsing.
Ključne besede: selection forest, plenterwald, selection system management, stand structure, tree species composition, regeneration, diameter distribution
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 12.07.2017; Ogledov: 4865; Prenosov: 2067
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Povzetek: In most mammalian species, body mass is one of the key factors affecting an individual's fitness. It is therefore important to know the causes of its variability. The present paper analyses the influences of habitat structure and other environmental factors on body mass in red deer. The research is based on data sets concerning 3,920 culled red deer from the entire Slovenia, which are geo-referenced within a kilometer spatial accuracy, and on 28 spatially explicit raster layers of population density, habitat structure variables (e.g. topography, land use, forest structure, roads) and other environmental variables (e.g. air temperature, precipitation, supplementary feeding). After controlling for sex and age of the individual and its date of culling, body weight significantly differs between population areas, most likely as a result of genotype differences and genotype impact on the phenotype, and is also negatively dependent upon population density and the percentage of conifers and positively dependent upon annual mean air temperature and forest/meadow edge density. The stated environmental factors probably influence the achieved energy balance and, therefore, the body mass of red deer by conditioning the quantity and quality of food and energy expenditure of deer.
Ključne besede: red deer, body weight, habitat, evironmental factors, population density, forest edge, conifer, temperature, Slovenia
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 12.07.2017; Ogledov: 4591; Prenosov: 2025
Celotno besedilo (713,95 KB)