Different landscape patterns of subalpine spruce forests in the Tatra Mts and Babia Góra massif (West Carpathians)

Authors:

• Jan Holeksa,
• Tomasz Zielonka

Abstract

Differences in the diameter structure of subalpine spruce stands in the Tatra Mts and Babia Góra massif are studied in this paper. The subalpine forests in both ranges are among the most pristine forests in the West Carpathians and in Europe as a whole. These well-preserved forest stands provide a unique opportunity to study their structural patterns even on large spatial scales. Data collected on small plots below 1 ha as well as across large tracts of hundreds of hectares were used for analyses. The density of stands in the Tatra Mts was much higher than on Babia Góra Mt., and the volume of stands was slightly higher. In the Tatras the diameter distribution of spruce trunks was distinctly right-skewed, while on Babia Góra the most abundant were the middle diameter classes from 30 to 50 cm. Cutting of trees and rejuvenation of stands should be considered even in the most pristine parts of the Tatra forests. However, their structure might be the result of diverse topography, which modifies wind action, insolation and avalanche activity. In the subalpine Tatra landscape, probably small patches of spruce forests are affected by disturbances occurring with different frequency and intensity, instead of one disturbance regime. The more uniform topography of Babia Góra means that disturbances cover extensive areas, resulting in relatively small variation in the structure of the subalpine forest.