Uneven-aged silvicultural systems of Scots Pine in the Czech Republic and in the Community of Madrid, Spain: experience, application and suggestions

Bc. Josef Gallo

Master's thesis

Abstract:

The master's thesis was aimed on close-to-nature Silviculture in Scots pine stands and focused on comparison of structural diversity on plots with even-aged and uneven-aged management on different sites in the Czech Republic and in Spain.Four permanent research plots were established in Scots pine-dominated forest stands, of which two were placed in Western Bohemia, the Czech Republic (plots CZ-1 and CZ-2), and two were placed in Community of Madrid, Spain (plots ES-1 and ES-2). The plots were located in forest example-locations that together practically show the stages of transition from regular to irregular management - CZ-1: stand with regular DBH structure and lower stand complexity as a result of less intensive harvest treatments in the past; CZ-2: stand in transition from even-aged to uneven-aged stand, recent selection harvest and very complex stand structure; ES-1: regular stand with low intensity intervention in the past and low stand complexity; ES-2: irregular stand with high intensity intervention and high stand complexity.On those plots, growth parameters, horizontal and vertical structure were described. Unconstrained principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyse relationships among plots attributes, stand parameters, climate data, and diversity of Pinus sylvestris and similarity of 4 research plots. Core increment samples were extracted to investigate the core annual increment pattern, particularly for recent years in relation to silvicultural measures.The results showed the state of the forest stands and differences of characteristics between individual plots. All plots had similar density characteristics, but different DBH structure, reached by different intensity of silvicultural interventions. Trees on ES plots showed lower H: DBH ratio. On even-aged plots (CZ-1, ES-1), the spatial distribution of trees was predominantly random (CZ-1), or random bound to regular (ES-1), while it was aggregated on the more irregular plots (CZ-2, ES-2) according to L-function.In PCA analysis, the first ordination axis explained 55.8%, the first two axes together 93.5% and the first three axes together explained all 100.0% of the variability in the data. Altitude was positively correlated with precipitation and gradient, while these parameters were negatively correlated with temperature, stand age and total diversity index. Stand volume, mean height and DBH positively correlated to each other, while these parameters were negatively correlated with canopy (crown closure, crown projection area), stand density and structural differentiation indices. Plots generally inclined to variability of different parameters, especially for plots ES-1 and ES 2.Mean core increment in recent years was highest on the most intensively managed plot, as a result of selection cutting. The important increment reaction was apparent across a number of DBH classes (14, 18, 22, and 46).

Keywords

Selection silvicultural systems, Scots pine, stand structure, increment cores, Monte de Cabeza de Hierro, Plasy

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 4. 5. 2016

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Lukáš Bílek, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences

Master programme / field:
Forestry Engineering / Forestry, Water and Landscape Management