Forest fires in Slovenian alpine environment are rare and only little is known about the secondary succession after forest fires under these conditions. In 1950, fire destroyed a forest area of 82 ha above Mozirje, which is since known as the Mozirska Požganija forest reserve. Establishment of permanent research plots was conducted in 1980 and measurements continued in 1988, 1994, 2007 and 2013. This long time component allows insight into successional dynamics. Since the occurrence of the fire, several successional stages have taken place here. These stages varied considerably in species structure and growth dynamics. Today, 62 years after the fire, the climax species Norway spruce is the main species in these stands. Pioneer species on the other hand, which soon invaded the predominant part of the burnt area and dominated the area for the first 30–40 years, have started to retreat from the stands. Due to gradual and spatially clustered forest formation, as well as mixture of climax and pioneer tree species, a complex forest structure developed. Modelling the successional dynamics with ForestMAS indicated an extremely slow return of beech to its original sites. Without any interventions to promote the abundance of beech (e.g. planting), the current state of Norway spruce prevalence will likely continue for several hundred years.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 3710374To poglavje je del nove knjige o gospodarjenju z gozdovi in ohranjanju biotske raznovrstnosti v Evropi, ki jo je objavil Evropski gozdarski inštitut. Knjiga, ki vsebuje 25 poglavij vodilnih strokovnjakov na področju ekologije in upravljanja z gozdovi v Evropi, se ukvarja predvsem z gozdno ekologijo in gospodarjenjem z gozdovi, ki vključuje tako ekološke kot ekonomske funkcije gozdov. Naše poglavje se osredotoča na vlogo procesov naravnih motenj v gozdni dinamiki in kako lahko te procese vključimo v gospodarjenje z gozdovi. Poudarjamo, da za uspešno gospodarjenje z gozdovi v krajinskem merilu ni dovolj le posnemanje vzorcev naravnih motenj in ponovno vzpostavljanje pragozdnih razmer, ampak tudi posnemanj sukcesijskih faz in strukturne kompleksnosti, ki izhajajo iz motenj večjih jakosti. To bi bilo mogoče deloma doseči z opuščanjem sanitarne sečnje na izbranih mestih po motnjah večjih jakosti.
F.17 Transfer of existing technologies, know-how, methods and procedures into practice
COBISS.SI-ID: 3738278The post-fire succession in natural black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) stands was analysed. Our research was done in the Trenta valley, where a fire took place in 2005, and above Log pod Mangartom, where a fire burned in 1979. The species composition of 22 sample plots of 10x10 m in areas of different burn severity and in unburned stands was recorded. The seedlings and saplings of tree and shrub species were also counted, and the amount of snags and logs wasrecorded. Hierarchical aglomerative clustering methods and principle coordinate analysis were used. The vegetation was also analysed according to plant strategies sensu Grime (CSR). Differences in regeneration between burn severity sites were determined using nonparametric tests, and correlation between coarse woody debris and regeneration was analysed. Significant differences were found between the recent burned area and control sites, but the older burned area is very similar to non-burned sites. The cover of dominant herb species (Erica carnea, Calamagrostis varia, Achnatherum calamagrostis) changed after the fire, and some new species, typical for burned areas, appeared. The succession is a transition from stress-tolerators to more competitive species, while the ruderal component is not significant. Pioneer species regenerated successfully in burned areas, while there was no difference in the regeneration of typical Fraxino orni-Pinetum nigraespecies. Coarse woody debris was found to have a positive impact on regeneration in the older burned area.
D.10 Educational activities
COBISS.SI-ID: 3701926