Forest Condition in Europe - ICP Forests

92 Forest Condition in Europe 2013
for junipers. This ratio for major pine species are 7.9% for P. brutia, 11.9% for P. sylvestris
and 4.9% for P. nigra.
Lymantria dispar, Tortrix viridana, Thaumetapoa sp. are among the major causes of damage.
As in the previous year, mistletoe (Viscum alba) is again the leading damaging agent.
In terms of geographical regions, defoliation ratio is higher in Northern and North-Eastern
parts of Turkey, mainly in Trace.
. Ukraine
Assessment of indicators for monitoring plots level I was carried out by specialists of State
Forest Management Enterprises (SFME’s) under the methodological guidance experts of
Ukrainian Research Institute of Forestry and Forest Melioration (URIFFM) and officers from
Regional Forest Administrations (RFA). QA/QC procedures have been done by officers from
RFA and experts from URIFFM. Responsibility for maintaining of national forest monitoring
data
base is assigned to URIFFM. The series of trainings for officers from RFA and for field specialists
from SFME’s has been conducted by experts from URIFFM for standardization in
assessment of defoliation and others forest monitoring indicators.
In 2012, 36064 sample trees were assessed on 1488 forest monitoring plots in 25 administrative
regions of Ukraine. Mean defoliation of conifers was 11.6 % and of broadleaved trees
was 12.4 %. Generally the tree crown condition is satisfactory: the part of healthy (not defoliated)
trees amounts 63.1%. The trend to deterioration of tree condition was observed in 2012.
For the total sample the percentage of healthy trees slightly decreased (63.1 against 64.9 %).
At the same time, the share of slightly to moderately defoliated trees increased from 35 % to
36.9 %. The part of trees with defoliation more than 25% (class 2 -4) increased on 0.8%. For
broadleaved the part of healthy trees is 60.8%, and respectively the part of defoliated trees is
39.2%, form those the part of damaged trees (with defoliation more then 25%) is 7,5%. Comparing
to the previous year the part of defoliated broadleaved trees increased on 2.8% in 2012.
For conifers the part of healthy trees is 66.2%? and the part of damaged trees (with defoliation
more then 25%) is the same as at broadleaved and amounts 7,5%.For the sample of common
sample trees (CSTs) (31201 trees) the tendency to deterioration of crown condition was observed.
Mean defoliation slightly increased in 2012 (12.0%) comparing to 2011 (11.5%).
Some deterioration of tree condition was registered for CSTs of Quearcus robur, Fagus sylvatica,
Pinus sylvestris and Fraxinus excelsior, that is characterized by statistically significant
decreasing of share of trees in defoliation class 0 and increasing in all other classes. Changes
in distribution within defoliation classes of CSTs of other main tree species were insignificant.
The conditions in 2012 year cause changes in ground vegetation. The trend to decreasing
of ground vegetation species richness was observed comparing to previous year in some regions
of Ukraine. Some deterioration of tree condition and changes in ground vegetation may
be explained by influence of extremely long vegetation period 2012 with hot and dry weather
condition that caused some weakening of trees and increasing of defoliating insect’s activity.