Forest fires have been present in nature throughout the entire history of the existence of forests. In some parts of the world, they can thus be of vital importance for the preservation of forests, where many species have evolved adaptations to survive or regenerate after fire. Fires are also present in Slovenia, but they mostly cause great economic and environmental damage. With climate change, i.e. longer dry periods and higher temperatures, wildfires are likely to increase in the future. One of the record years in the history of forest fires in Slovenia was 2022. For these reasons, we undertook a more detailed investigation of the short-term consequences of forest fires on mixed forests of the Gorenjska and Osrednjeslovenska regions. We performed measurements at three fire sites of different sizes in the vicinity of Ljubljana and Preddvor, at altitudes from 319 to 1018 m above sea level and slopes between 19 and 41.4 degrees. A complete survey of trees with a breast diameter equal to or greater than 5 cm was carried out in randomly distributed plots with a radius of 12 m. Dead biomass was also recorded on these, and rejuvenation was recorded on smaller plots with a 2 m radius. All plots were on east, south, or west expositions. We found that the intensity of the fire is influenced by some topographical factors, such as the slope and altitude within the fire area, but interestingly, we did not find a connection between the intensity of the fire and deadwood biomass. There was a smaller connection with tree mortality though. The latter is also influenced by breast diameter of trees. A partial influence was also found in bark thickness or tree species. In general, however, the impact of fire and its consequences are great in these forests. After one year, less than a third of all trees remained alive, and many of them also had major crown damage. These are still at risk of deterioration in the next few years, especially in the event of major damage and bark beetle attacks, which are already evident in 2023, or extreme droughts.
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