Challenges for uneven-aged silviculture in restoration of post-disturbance forests in Central Europe : a synthesis

Diaci, Jurij (author), Roženbergar, Dušan (author), Fidej, Gal (author), Nagel, Thomas Andrew (author)

Forest managers are often required to restore forest stands following natural disturbances, a situation that may become more common and more challenging under global change. In parts of Central Europe, particularly in mountain regions dominated by mixed temperate forests, the use of relatively low intensity, uneven-aged silviculture is a common management approach. Because this type of management is based on mimicking less intense disturbances, the restoration of more severe disturbance patches within forested landscapes has received little attention. The goal of this paper is to synthesize research on the restoration of forests damaged by disturbances in temperate forests of Slovenia and neighbouring regions of Central Europe, where uneven-aged silviculture is practiced. Research indicates that active management aimed at favouring mixed uneven-aged forest reduces the risk of disturbance and improves the resilience of stands. Salvage logging may have positive or negative effects on regeneration, much of which is due to the method applied and the quality of work. The most prominent factors that negatively affect restoration are: lack of advanced regeneration and decomposed woody debris, high altitude, steep slopes, dense ground vegetation, and overbrowsing. Planting or sowing should be applied in post-disturbance forests where many negative factors interact and where a high demand for sustainability of forest ecosystem services is present.

• Language: English
• Keywords: natural disturbance, advanced regeneration, planting, natural regeneration, uneven-aged silviculture
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2017
• Number of pages: 20 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 10, art. 378
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-98326
• UDC: 630*2
• ISSN on article: 1999-4907
• DOI: 10.3390/f8100378
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4887718
• Publication date in RUL: 27.11.2017

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Forests
• Shortened title: Forests
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4907
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3872166

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 04.10.2017

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: gozdarstvo, ujme, gojenje gozdov, naravne motnje

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P4-0059
• Name: Gozd, gozdarstvo in obnovljivi gozdni viri