COST Action E 52 - vTI - Bund.de

Fig. 5. Scheme of structure at height of beech group (according to GIGAURI 1980)
During the life of one generation (500 – 600 years) beech forest will pass the main biological stages
of development:
1. Teenage stage (age 40 – 60);
2. Development stage of young forest (age 41 – 100);
3. Development stage of the middle and matured parts of the group (101 – 160);
4. Maturity stage of the group (age from 161 to 240 – 250). Trees reach large size;
5. Stage when trees of the upper part of the canopy get old and when they begin to die gradually (age
from 250 to 350 – 360);
6. Primary stage of dying of the earlier generation or natural maturity of the forest (from 360 to 500
– 600 – 800).
The main principles of forest management in various categories of forests in Georgia are:
In protection forests, national parks and on protected areas of various categories the regime of
forestry is determined by preservation, protection and improvement of the entire complex of natural
conditions (today 14 state reserves, 8 national parks, 12 game reserves, 14 natural monuments and 2
protected landscape function in Georgia) (web-site: http://dpa.gov.ge/).
In green zone forests, the forestry management aims at the formation of valuable forest stands
– healthy, high productive and of aesthetical valuable that will promote improvement of sanitary
hygienic conditions of the urban-industrial environment and secure the remainder of the population
and adequately protect their health status.
In the forests of such importance, the main regulations of forestry are determined by improvement
of sanitary, hygienic and aesthetical conditions of the forests.
In the mountain forests the protection of soil and water through regulation are important functions
and here the purpose of forestry is the conservation and strengthening of soil protection, water
preservation and other water control functions. Here, the main function is to avoid erosion and
protect the permanent health status of rivers and streams. Besides protective and other functions
but due to their high productivity, these forests also have a function of timber production. These
protective and exploitation functions of the forests supplement each other. However, forest
exploitation requirements are always subordinate to the protective functions of forests (Cutting Rules
in Georgian Forests, 2000).
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