Belarusian Polish Forest Mapping Belarusian Polish Forest Mapping

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Belarusian-Polish Forest Mapping project POLAND BIFs in Poland most frequently meet the criterion Uneven age and species structure: At least 30 years of difference between species and average age of stands more than 80 years (Table 3.6). Nearly 45% of BIFs meet this criterion, but most of them also meet other criteria associated with varied age and species structure: At least 5 species in dominant canopy level and at least 50 years old and Presence of very old trees. In total, nearly 59% of BIFs selected according to the criteria of this project are forest stands with uneven age and tree species structure. It is noteworthy that this group includes some BIFs, e.g. 80 year old forest stands, which have not acquired all the characteristic features of old forest (considerable amount of dead wood at various stages of decomposition, presence of gaps that favour natural regeneration, etc.), but with appropriate forestry actions, they have the potential to relatively rapidly increase their biodiversity. Many stands are characterised by old age (ca. 32% of BIFs) and location on steep slopes (ca. 29%). The high conservation value of the latter is associated mainly with the orographic variation of climate and vegetation – and in the case of mountainous areas also limited access - which may result in such stands having a higher degree of naturalness. About 12% of BIFs are protected and endangered vegetation types, selected on the basis of forestry records and forest site maps. We used the list from Annex I of the Habitats Directive (NATURA 2000) as a list of forest types. This list also included forests that are rare in Western Europe, but more widespread in Poland, for example oak-hornbeam forests, and beech forests. The standard forest stand description in forestry records, because of its simplicity, does not enable unambiguous identification of all endangered vegetation types, so their contribution is probably underestimated. Table 3.6. Shares of BIFs that meet individual criteria Criterion Area (ha) share (%)* 1. Little or no signs of human influence 69,953 7.23 2. Average age of stands more than x years 312,852 32.33 3. Considerable amount/long term continuum of dead wood 69,953 7.23 5. Forests on steep slopes 284,028 29.35 6.1. At least 30 years of difference between species and average age of stand at least 80 years 429,271 44.36 6.2. At least five species in dominant canopy layer and at least 50 years old, excluding understorey 180,562 18.66 6.3. Presence of trees 20 years older than in Cr. 2 126,646 13.09 7. Forest after natural disturbances 26,271 2.71 8. Endangered vegetation types 117,455 12.14 9. Rare forest-dependent species present 79,120 8.18 10. Rare broadleaved species present 46,052 4.76 11. Small water courses, surface springs, flooded areas 46,275 4.78 12. Limited access areas 3,241 0.33 Total area of forests meeting at least one citerion 967,719 *Values in the column “Share (%)” do not sum up to 100%, because many forest stands meet more than one criterion Forest stands that are not subject to human interference (i.e. strictly protected) account for less than 1% of the forests in Poland. For this reason, the criterion Limited forestry actions was applied also to partly protected forest reserves, on the assumption that they are much more natural than forests subject to standard forestry actions. In strictly and partly protected areas 28
Belarusian-Polish Forest Mapping project there is also a chance that the criterion Considerable amount of dead wood is present and continuously replenished, so the two criteria were treated jointly. In total, ca. 7% of BIFs meet both criteria. A low proportion (ca. 3%) of BIFs are remnants of large-scale natural disturbances, but this is a consequence of forest management standards in Poland. Forest stands that have been partly or completely damaged by strong winds, fire, or pest outbreaks are very quickly subject to removal of the timber and subsequent reforestation. The data on Limited access areas (defined as wooded islands on lakes and swamps) may be deficient, as they account for only 0.33% of BIFs in the Polish BPFM database. It seems probable that the contribution of forests on such islands is higher, but limited resources precluded a detailed analysis, which could be based on a study of satellite images and topographic maps for the whole country. The contributions of different forest types to BIFs that meet individual criteria are varied (Fig. 3.7). In the criteria Limited forestry actions and Considerable amount of dead wood, two forest types prevailed: lowland oak and mixed broadleaved forests, as well as alder and similar swamp forests. This reflects the relatively high contribution of nature reserves in these forest types. Lowland oak forests and mixed broadleaved forests also prevail among the forest stands that meet the criterion Average age of stands more than X years, while upland and montane beech forests rank second in this respect. Such forest stands have reached commercial maturity, so their annual felling rate can be high. 1. Little or no signs of human influence 2. Average age of stand more than X years 3. Considerable amount / long continuum of dead wood 5. Forests on steep slopes 6.1. Five or more species in main layer and at least 50 years old 6.2. At least 30 years of difference between age of species, average age is at least 80 years 6.3. Presence of trees 20 years older than in cr. 2 7. Forests after large-scale natural disturbances 8. Endangered vegetation types 9. Populations of several endangered forest dependent species 10. Rare broad-leaved species present in canopy layer 11. Small water courses; surface springs, flooded areas 12. Limited access areas Relatively dry lowland coniferous and mixed forests Lowland beech forests Alder forests and similar swamp forests Upland oak forests and mixed broadleaved forests Upland and lower montane coniferous forests Upper montane spruce forests 0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 Moist or wet lowland coniferous and mixed forests Lowland oak forests and mixed broadleaved forests Flood-plain forests Upland and montane beech forests Upland and montane riverine forests Fig. 3.7. Contributions of individual forest types to BIFs that meet individual criteria, assessed on the basis of available data on individual stands, Poland. The majority of Forests on steep slopes are upland and montane beech forests. Lowland oak forests and mixed broadleaved forests rank second, but their share is much lower. The latter forest type is noteworthy because it can include rare communities of multispecific broadleaved forests on slopes, classified as Aceri-Tilietum (Matuszkiewicz 2005). Lowland oak forests and mixed broadleaved forests are major contributors also in the criterion Uneven age and species 29
Page 1 and 2: Belarusian Polish Forest Mapping Pr
Page 3 and 4: Belarusian-Polish Forest Mapping pr
Page 27: Belarusian-Polish Forest Mapping pr

Belarusian Polish Forest Mapping Belarusian Polish Forest Mapping

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?