Eleven years after the catastrophic ice storm that severely damaged the high karst forests, we determined how this disturbance and the consequent increased light and release of growth space affected the plant composition of severely damaged and less damaged forests within the Planina-Golobičevec district. The analysis was carried out using phytocenological surveys according to the Braun-Blanquet method on sample plots in less damaged forests, severely damaged forests and in stands with Douglas fir. We found that natural forests of the Omphalodo-Fagetum association grow in the district. In damaged plots, species diversity is 30 % higher and phytoindication indicates more incident light, as forest succession develops relatively slowly. The vegetation there contains both climax vegetation typical of the site and pioneer species; the occurrence of alien invasive species is low. In stands of Douglas fir, the vegetation in the herb layer is very similar to that in intact natural Dinaric fir-beech forests, which is most likely a result of the appropriate intensity of thinning. According to other authors, Douglas fir does not show any tendency towards invasiveness in the Planina-Golobičevec district.
|
