Due to a high share of black locust in Murska Sobota forestry region SlovenianForest Server produced a coverage and percantage chart of the black loust in the adult tree structure. It is evident from the chart that the highest amount of black locust can be found near the Mura and other rivers andalso in the vineyard regions, where peasants needed the black locust for piles. South of the Mura river (Slovenske gorice) and north of the Mura plain (Goričko) the presence of the black locust is significantly lower due to past littering, which led to acidified soil and thereby degraded the tree structuretowards the pine spectrum. I analized 10 randomly selected sample layers and found the black locust to be rejuvenating at an extremely agressivepace in all analized forestry classes, especially in forestry class 110 (oak and hornbeam forests). One of the reasons behind the black locust's strong rejuvenation process are most likely the lowering levels of undergroundwater - due to meliorations in the past. The paramount reason, however, seem to be the extensive promotion of the black locust from the side of private forest owners, who promoted it in various ways, because of its fastgrowth and the versatile use of its timber. The combination of lowering levels of underground water and promotion of the black locust by private forest owners has helped the black locust substitute the decreasing amount of oak, willow, poplar and ash tree in several places of the Mura plain. This presents a serious problem, which is evident from the vastly altered tree structure and diminished exploatation of growth potentials, which may lead to degradation of tree structures.
|