Research in forests provides valuable insight into the functioning and development of natural forest. In the Ravna gora old-growth forest reserve, long term research was initiated following the 1983 windbreak. Two permanent research plots were established, one in the unaffected part and the other in the area damaged by the windbreak. The first measurement took place in 1983, when a full callipering was carried out on the plot, all trees were given a live/dead status and cause of death was estimated. Repeat censuses were then carried out in 2012, 2017 and 2022. On the unaffected area of the reserve, development was moderate, without significant changes. Beech dominated with 93.2 %, mountain maple with 6.8 %, density slightly decreased from 292 to 205, the mortality rate was between 0.9 % and 1.1 %, and the recruitment rate was between 0.2 % and 0 %. On the windbreak plot, there was first a predominance of mountain maple over beech, but later the density of beech increased, making up 61.3 % of trees in 2022. After the windbreak, the value of the basal area increased sharply from 3.86 m2/ha to the current 16.65 m2/ha. Following windthrow, the mortality rate was rising, and the recruitment rate was falling as the forest developed over time. The recruitment rate was as much as 4.6 % after windthrow. As expected, development on the first plot had minor changes, while large changes were observed in structure and composition in the windthrow plot, confirming our hypotheses.
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