Zmiany zachodzące w drzewostanach Bieszczadów

The aim of the study was to analyse (on the basis of the data from the State Forests Information System) the changes occurring in the Bieszczady forests in the period of 2007−2016. One of the processes taking place in the study area is the withdrawal of grey alder stands and the appear− ance of natural regeneration of mainly beech and fir, and in a smaller proportion spruce (fig. 1). Another natural process is the encroachment of fir and beech under the canopy of pine stands, which is favoured by fertile habitats that meet the ecological requirements of these two tree species. As a result of economic activity supporting these processes, alder and pine stands are being rebuilt relatively quickly, turning into fir or beech stands, and sometimes into mixed stands with the participation of other tree species, including spruce (fig. 1). The decline of spruce stands occurs on the dominant area in Poland: in Beskid Śląski and Beskid Żywiecki, the Kaszuby Forest or the Białowieża Forest. The main causes of this process are abiotic and biotic factors, including frequent droughts causing the lowering of the groundwater level and insect outbreaks, especially of bark beetles. The proportion of spruce in the Bieszczady Mountains is relatively small (about 10%), and the high fertility of the habitats compensates, to some extent, the relatively high moisture requirements of this tree species and probably these factors determined the lack of decline of spruce stands in the analysed area. In the last 10 years, the average age of forests in the Bieszczady Mountains increased from 77 to 83 years (tab. 2), mainly as a result of too low volume of harvested timber (fig. 3). Comparing the total harvested volume with the volume of allowable cut determined by the stand growth model, the harvest of the wood raw material was understated by about 25%. The aging of forests is also confirmed by changes in stands in age classes (fig. 2). The aging of the Bieszczady forests is correlated with the process of increasing the threat to these forests by wind (figs. 4−5). The wind damage risk factor increased over the next 10 years in the two highest threat level, and thus the area of threatened stands increased. The forest threat measure in the Bieszczady forests increased in general as well as in individual forest districts (fig. 6). The forests in two of these districts are currently among the most threatened in Poland.