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Natural layering, foliation, fertility and plant species composition of a Fagus sylvatica stand above the alpine timberline in the Giant (Krkonoše) Mts., Czech Republic

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Abstract

Layering, long-term development of foliation, beech nut fertility and plant species composition have never before been studied in Fagus sylvatica stands above the alpine timberline in Central Europe. F. sylvatica forms and is present above the timberline (1,260 m a. s. l.) on only one south-facing slope along a 1-km-long stretch of the Giant Mts., which represents the northernmost timberline featuring F. sylvatica worldwide. We investigated the long-term development of this unique stand in which layering of F. sylvatica was discovered (LP—1,310 m a. s. l.), comparing it with a control plot (CP—1,190 m a. s. l.). Research plots were established in 1980, with monitoring of foliation, masting, beech nut fertility and plant species composition performed over the following 30 years. In the LP plot, F. sylvatica was able to reproduce only clonally by layering. Development of adventitious roots on branches reaching the ground took many years. In the LP plot, F. sylvatica was able to survive heavy air pollution during the 1980s and since that time substantial improvement of its health status has been recorded. Generative reproduction of F. sylvatica in the LP plot was extremely rare, as production of fertile nuts was recorded only once in 2007 and seedlings have never been recorded at all. An improvement in F. sylvatica foliation in the LP plot was probably the reason for a decrease in species richness and cover of bryophytes. The herb layer, dominated by Calamagrostis villosa, was highly stable in the LP plot over the 30-year period, contrasting significantly with the marked changes in species composition observed in the understory of the CP plot where massive regeneration of F. sylvatica occurred. Layering, stability of herb layer and rare masting can be expected in F. sylvatica stands above the alpine timberline.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 1176, CZ-165 21 Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic

    Stanislav Vacek

  2. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 1176, CZ-165 21 Prague 6, Suchdol, Czech Republic

    Michal Hejcman

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  1. Stanislav Vacek
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  2. Michal Hejcman
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Correspondence to Michal Hejcman.

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Communicated by C. Ammer.

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Vacek, S., Hejcman, M. Natural layering, foliation, fertility and plant species composition of a Fagus sylvatica stand above the alpine timberline in the Giant (Krkonoše) Mts., Czech Republic. Eur J Forest Res 131, 799–810 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-011-0553-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-011-0553-x

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