Structure and dynamics of virgin and (formerly) managed beech forests

Project in collaboration with the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (Rakhiv, Ukraine) and the Ukrainian Research Institute of Mountain Forestry (Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine)

Background

Virgin forest Uholka, Ukraine Photo: U.-B. Brändli (WSL)

Ukrainian-Swiss research plot Photo: U.-B. Brändli (WSL)

Due to the tense economic situation, forest enterprises are forced to cut down on the costs for tending and thinning operations. At the same time, ecologists and conservationists are placing increasing demands on a close-to-nature forest management to enhance and maintain biodiversity. Forest policy promotes the establishment of forest reserves where timber harvesting is given up completely or where only targeted interventions for the enhancement of biodiversity are allowed.

Also more and more forests, especially on steep and low productive sites, are not utilised any more for economic reasons. It is not yet clear what consequences reducing silvicultural treatment will have with regards to the sustainable fulfilment of the various public demands on the forests, and what will happen if formerly managed forests are entirely left to develop naturally.

Aims

The comparison of the structure and dynamics of a virgin beech forest in Transcarpathia, Ukraine, and a beech forest near Zurich, Switzerland, which was managed till shortly in a near natural way, shall contribute to answering the following questions:

• What are the main structural differences between a virgin beech forest and a beech forest managed in a close-to-natural way?
• What are the differences in processes such as mortality and regeneration?
• What will the future development of the Sihlwald be like after all tending and harvesting operations have stopped? How long will former management influence forest dynamics and species composition?
• What are the possible consequences of reducing tending and thinning operations in managed beech forests?
• What forest structures are most suitable for a multifunctional cost-effective management of beech forests?

Study areas

• The virgin beech forest Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh is part of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve in the Ukrainian region Transcarpathia. It is considered as one of the largest remnant of virgin beech forest in Europe. The studied area is located north of the village Mala Uholka (48°14’ N / 23°36’ E), at an altitude of 700-800 m a.s.l.
• The Sihlwald is one of the largest continuous beech (or mainly beech) forests in the Swiss lowlands. It was used already in the 14^th century to cover the fuel demands of the citizens of Zurich. After excessive exploitation in the 18^th century, an era of nature-oriented silviculture started in 1875, which was continued till the 1990s. It was decided then to stop wood cutting and leave the forest to natural development. The studied area comprises an approx. 150-year-old beech stand, situated at the Biriboden (47°15’ N / 8°33’30’’ E), at an altitude of 600-700 m.

Method

Two inventory plots of 10 and 11 ha respectively are established in Uholka and Sihlwald, divided into subplots of 50 by 50 m. Within these subplots, all living and dead trees ≥ 8 cm d.b.h. are measured and their position (coordinates) recorded. Lying deadwood is assessed when it is more than 2 m in length and 8 cm in diameter. Regeneration is surveyed on circular sample plots of 20 m², distributed in a regular grid of 25 x 25 m.

Years of inventory: 2000, 2005

Collaborators

• WSL
  Brigitte Commarmot, Anton Bürgi, Andreas Zingg, Hansheinrich Bachofen, Christian Matter, Enrico Cereghetti, Bernhard Ramp
• Carpathian Biosphere Reserve
  Dmytro Sukharyuk, Yosyp Bundziyak, Yuriy Berkela and others
• Ukrainian Reserarch Institute for Mountain Forestry
  Yuriy Shparyk, Vasyl Parpan, Taras Parpan and others

Publications

• Commarmot, B.; Shparyk, Y.; Sukharyuk, D.; Bürgi, A.; Zingg, A., 2008: Entwicklung zum Urwald? Ein Vergleich zwischen dem Zürcher Sihlwald und dem Buchenurwald Uholka in der Westukraine. In: 2. Hessisches Naturwaldforum Buche, 28.-29. April 2008 in Bad Wildungen. Mitteilungen der Hessischen Landesforstverwaltung, Band 47:42-48. PDF
  
• Commarmot, B.; Shparyk, Y.; Sukhariuk, D., 2008: Virgin Forest Research Plot Uholka [Flyer]. Birmensdorf, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL. 6 S. PDF
• Brändli, U.-B.; Dowhanytsch, J., Commarmot, B., 2008: Virgin Forest of Uholka. Nature Guide to the Largest Virgin Beech Forest of Europe A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Birmensdorf, Swiss Federal Resarch Institute WSL, CBR Rakhiv. 24 S. PDF
• Shparyk, Y. S.; Bürgi, A.; Commarmot, B.; Sukharyuk, D.D., 2008: Dinamika prirodnoho vidnovlennja bukovoho pralisu. Naukovij visnik nacional’noho lisotechničnoho universitetu Ukrajini: Zbirnik naukovo-techničnich prac’. L’viv: NLTUU. Vip. 18.2: 45-51.
• Shparyk Yu.S., Bürgi A., Commarmot B., Sukharyuk D.D., Berkela Yu.Yu., 2008: Monitoring bukovich pralisiv karpats'koho biospernoho zapovidnika. In: Hamor F.D. (ed.): Rozvitok zapovidnoji spravi v Ukrajini i formuvannja pan'evropejs'koji ekolohičnoij mereži. Materiali mižnarodnoji konferenciji, Ukrajina, Rachiv, 11-13 listopada 2008 roku: 468-472.
• Commarmot, B.; Chumak, V.; Duelli, P.; Küffer, N. ; Lovas, P. ; Shparyk, Y., 2007: Buchenurwälder als Referenz für Naturschutz : Forschungsergebnisse aus den ukrainischen Karpaten. Natur und Landschaft 82, 9/10: 398-400.
• Berkela, Y.Y.; Commarmot, B.; Shparyk, Y.S.; Sukhariuk, D.D., 2002: Analiz ctruktury bukovoho pralisu metodamyhis. In: Hamor, F.D. (ed): Hori i Ljudi (u kontekcti ctaloho rozvytku). Materialy mižnarodnoji konferenciji , 14-18 žovtnja 2002 r., Rachiv, Tom II: 213-216.
• Commarmot, B.; Zingg, A.; Parpan, V.I., 2001: Vom Urwald lernen. Neues Projekt im Sihlwald und im ukrainischen Buchenurwald. Inf.bl. Forsch.bereich Wald 6: 5-7.
• Commarmot, B.; Bachofen, H.; Bundziak, Y.; Bürgi, A.; Ramp, B.; Shparyk, Y.; Sukhariuk, D.; Viter, R.; Zingg, A., 2005: Structures of virgin and managed beech forests in Uholka (Ukraine) and Sihlwald (Switzerland): a comparative study. For. Snow Landsc. Res. 79, 1/2:45-56. PDF
  
• Shparyk, Y.S.; Commarmot, B; Bürgi, A., Zingg, A., Viter R.M., 2002: Porivnjannja struktury bukovych pralisiv ukrajins’kych karpat ta bučyn švejcariji z blyz’kym do pryrodnoho vedennjam lisovoho hospodarstva. Lisiwniztwo i agrolisomeliorazija 101:44-51.
• Shparyk, Y.S.; Commarmot, B; Sukhariuk, D.D.; Viter, R.M., 2002: Struktura ta mozajičnist’ bukovoho pralisu ukrajinc’kych karpat. In: Hamor, F.D. (ed): Hori i Ljudi (u kontekcti ctaloho rozvytku). Materialy mižnarodnoji konferenciji , 14-18 žovtnja 2002 r., Rachiv, Tom II: 553-558.

Funding

The study is funded by the SNSF within the framework SCOPES (Institutional Partnership Projects 7IP 062590 and IB74A0-111087).

Contact

• Brigitte Commarmot