Production potential and ecological stability of mixed forest stands in uplands – VI. A beech-larch.pdfVIP

JOURNAL OF FOREST SCIENCE, 53, 2007 (4): 170–184 Production potential and ecological stability of mixed forest stands in uplands – VI. A beech/larch stand on a mesotrophic site of the Křtiny Training Forest Enterprise V. Hurt, P. Kantor Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, Brno, Czech Republic ABSTRACT: The paper is the 6th report on the production potential and stability of mixed forest stands in uplands. A mixed beech/larch stand that was established by natural regeneration in 1934 to 1942 is assessed. The stand is situated at an altitude of 460 m above sea level. It has been left to its natural development since 1961. At that time, the stand was characterized as an individually mixed, diameter- and height-differentiated 25-year pole-stage stand. The proportion of larch and beech amounted to 40% and 17%, respectively. Hornbeam (25%), oak (11%) and to a lesser extent birch (5%) and spruce (3%) also occurred in the stand. In the course of 42 years, the proportion of larch in this stand without planned thinning measures decreased to 35%. On the other hand, the proportion of beech increased to 39%. During all 5-year inventories, the stand 3 could be characterized as a stabilized one with high production potential. Its initial growing stock 63 m /ha at an age of 3 25 years increased to 497 m /ha at an age of 67 years in 2003. At present, current volume increment amounts to 9.8 to 3 12.5 m /ha/year. Keywords: beech; larch; oak; hornbeam; mixed stands; natural development; production; mortality; slenderness ratio Nine years ago, in 1997 the project Production and lished so far, in the majority of sites of the 2nd and ecological stability of mixed stands un