The research took place in the area of Kočevski Rog, which represents a part of Dinaric Mountains in the South of Slovenia. Research plots were set up inside three, in 2001 cut down canopy gaps using 5 x 5 m grid. During the third measurement of regeneration development we assessed the ground coverage of tree regeneration and vegetation, the density of tree regeneration, browsing damage and the growth of dominant saplings on the plot. The density of silver fir, sycamore maple and beech in the first regeneration layer decreased compared to the 2006 measurement. The proportion of regeneration coverage increased, while the proportion of ground vegetation, rock coverage and coarse woody debris decreased. Damage rates of terminal beech shoots decreased to 5 %, while the proportion of severely damaged specimens of silver fir and sycamore maple increased compared to previous measurements to 37 % for silver fir and 38 % for sycamore maple. The proportion of stems with upright growth increased to 79 %, while the proportions of specimens with stem deformation (6 %) and specimens with plagiotropic growth (14 %) decreased. A reverse and unexpected trend was observed in the analysis of shoot shape, where the proportion of stems with single terminal shoots decreased (56 %), while the proportion of specimens with two terminal shoots (36 %) and broom shape growth (8 %) increased. The HD ratio has increased since the previous measurement from 74 to 86,7. After completing the data analysis, we found out that silver fir and sycamore maple do not recruit to higher regeneration layers which can cause future decrease of biotic and economic value of these forests.
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