Moderate- to High-Severity Disturbances Shaped the Structure of Primary Picea Abies (L.) Karst. Forest in the Southern Carpathians
Open Access
- 10 December 2020
- Vol. 11 (12), 1315
- https://doi.org/10.3390/f11121315
Abstract
Research Highlights: Past disturbances occurred naturally in primary forests in the Southern Carpathians. High- and moderate-severity disturbances shaped the present structure of these ecosystems, which regenerated successfully without forestry interventions. Background and Objectives: Windstorms and bark beetle outbreaks have recently affected large forest areas across the globe, causing concerns that these disturbances lie outside the range of natural variability of forest ecosystems. This often led to salvage logging inside protected areas, one of the main reasons for primary forest loss in Eastern Europe. Although more than two-thirds of temperate primary forests in Europe are located in the Carpathian region of Eastern Europe, knowledge about how natural disturbances shape the forest dynamics in this region is highly essential for future management decisions. Material and Methods: We established our study in a primary forest valley situated in the centre of the largest temperate primary forest landscape in Europe (Făgăraș Mountains). A dendrochronological investigation was carried out to reconstruct the natural disturbance history and relate it to the present forest structure. Results: The dendrochronological analysis revealed high temporal variability in the disturbance patterns both at the patch and stand level. Moderate severity disturbance events were most common (20–40% of canopy disturbed in 60% of the plots) but high severity events did also occur (33% of the plots). Regeneration was spruce-dominated and 71% of the seedlings were found on deadwood microsites. Conclusions: We conclude that the current structure of the studied area is a consequence of the past moderate-severity disturbances and sporadic high-severity events. The peak in disturbances (1880–1910) followed by reduced disturbance rates may contribute to a recent and future increase in disturbances in the Făgăraș Mts. Our findings show that these disturbance types are within the range of natural variability of mountain spruce forests in the Southern Carpathians and should not be a reason for salvage logging in primary forests from this area.Keywords
This publication has 54 references indexed in Scilit:
- Natural development and regeneration of a Central European montane spruce forestForest Ecology and Management, 2010
- Virgin forests in Romania and Bulgaria: results of two national inventory projects and their implications for protectionBiodiversity and Conservation, 2010
- Forest floor carbon exchange of a boreal black spruce forest in eastern North AmericaBiogeosciences (online), 2009
- Silviculture for old-growth attributesForest Ecology and Management, 2009
- Deadwood in Relation to Stand Management and Forest Type in Central Apennines (Molise, Italy)Ecosystems, 2008
- Altitudinal variability of stand structure and regeneration in the subalpine spruce forests of the Pol’ana biosphere reserve, Central SlovakiaEuropean Journal of Forest Research, 2007
- Forest regeneration after disturbance: A modelling study for the Swiss AlpsForest Ecology and Management, 2006
- Identifying growth releases in dendrochronological studies of forest disturbanceCanadian Journal of Forest Research, 2005
- Disturbances and structural development of natural forest ecosystems with silvicultural implications, using Douglas-fir forests as an exampleForest Ecology and Management, 2001
- Biodiversity, disturbances, ecosystem function and management of European forestsForest Ecology and Management, 2000