Journal of Forest Science - Latest articles

Are they both the same shit? Winter faeces of roe and red deer show no difference in nutritional components

Stipan Čupić, Miloš Ježek, Francisco Ceacero

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(3):114-123 | DOI: 10.17221/19/2023-JFS  

Herbivorous ungulate diets affect population performance and overall forest health through balanced interactions on plant-herbivore relations; therefore, understanding them is critical. Faeces are frequently used in ungulate nutritional ecology because they can provide information about animals’ digestive efficiency. Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) have different morpho-physiological and ecological constraints, and these differences should be reflected in their faeces. On the other hand, the lack of information about the animal (sex, age, reproductive status, diet selection, etc.) may be challenging...

The factors limiting the venison market in the Czech Republic and options for limiting their impact on the Forestry

Martin Němec, Andrea Skřivánková, David Vaca, Jan Novák, Marcel Riedl, Roman Dudík, Vilém Jarský

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(3):101-113 | DOI: 10.17221/142/2022-JFS  

This article focuses on the development possibilities of the venison market in the Czech Republic. The main factors affecting the primary game market were investigated, both production limitations on the side of the hunters and on the side of the game production purchase prices. These factors were analysed in the context of the consumer prices of general meat production and the purchase prices of common meat (beef, pork). Furthermore, the size of the total game market was estimated, taking into account the export and import of this commodity. The potential venison market size for the Czech Republic was also established in the study. The gap between...

Vital rates and their multidecadal trends in the fir-beech old-growth forest of Badínsky prales

Ladislav Šumichrast, Peter Jaloviar, Matúš Komendák, Samuel Targoš, Stanislav Kucbel

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(3):93-100 | DOI: 10.17221/167/2022-JFS  

The study aimed to quantify annual mortality and recruitment rates on permanent research plots in the Badínsky prales old-growth forest. The data measured in four stands originate from six censuses, which together cover a 48-year period. The mean annual mortality rate reached 4.2% (DBH > 2 cm) or 2.3% (DBH > 8 cm). The mortality peaked in the first part of the observation period, probably indicating an intermediate disturbance activity, and the subsequent declining trend led to minimum annual mortality during the last 20 years. We found substantially higher fir mortality in comparison with beech, primarily during the first...

Positive effect of fir-rowan intimate mixture on new forest floor and topsoil following afforestation

Dušan Kacálek, Jan Bartoš, Ondřej Špulák

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(2):80-92 | DOI: 10.17221/180/2022-JFS  

Litterfall of silver fir contributes to development of forest floor similarly like Norway spruce litterfall does. The nutrient return to soil can be intensified by mixing these conifers with other tree species whose effects on soil are positive; our study deals with European rowan. The study aimed at firs and rowans in alternating rows (Fi-Ro) compared to the monospecific plantation of fir (Fi) at two former meadow sites with the stands of 20 and 17 years of age, respectively. Both organic forest floor and its mineral subsurface were sampled. Rowan admixed to the silver fir plantation improved both the uppermost layer and the topsoil as higher...

The increasing drought sensitivity of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is evident in the last two decades

Monika Vejpustková, Tomáš Čihák, Petr Fišer

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(2):67-79 | DOI: 10.17221/172/2022-JFS  

Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is still counted among drought-tolerant tree species. However, its ability to cope with the recent extremely dry period has not yet been sufficiently studied. The objective of research was to analyse differences in the climate-growth response between silver fir, Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) growing in areas with large-scale disintegration of spruce stands. In 2019–2021, the increment cores were sampled at 16 sites along the altitudinal gradient of 340–775 m a.s.l. in different regions of the Czech Republic affected by bark beetle...

Nutrition of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) and its comparison with Norway spruce (Picea abies L. H. Karst) from the same forest sites in the Czech Republic

Radek Novotný

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(2):60-66 | DOI: 10.17221/162/2022-JFS  

Forests in central Europe were affected by heavy bark beetle outbreak during the years 2014–2022. Decline of Norway spruce brought other species of forest trees, including the fir, to the fore. The nutritional level of silver fir is one of the studied topics. Needles in 14 Norway spruce (NS) – silver fir (SF) mixed forest stands from 4 regions in the Czech Republic have been sampled to survey their nutrition level. Nutrition of NS is often near or below the deficiency limit, while nutrition of SF was assessed as sufficient or good. Differences between both regions and tree species were found. SF drew more nutrients from the...

Evaluation of silver fir provenances at 51 years of age in provenance trials in the Předhoří Hrubý Jeseník and Nízký Jeseník Mts. regions, Czech Republic

Martin Fulín, Jaroslav Dostál, Jiří Čáp, Petr Novotný

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(2):44-59 | DOI: 10.17221/181/2022-JFS  

In 2021, measurements were done at two international provenance research trials for silver fir originating from the same series of experiments. The investigation was carried out in the location Vítkov and Úsov, where both trials were established. Biometric data (tree height, diameter at breast height) were measured and qualitative traits (stem shape, occurrence of stem forking, stem damage, bark pattern, and defoliation) were assessed during the early mature stage of the experiment. Overbark stem volume and per-hectare standing volume were also calculated. Sixty-five provenances of domestic and foreign origin were evaluated in both trials....

Support for silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) in managed forests

Jiří Novák, Dušan Kacálek

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(2):41-43  

List of reviewers 2022

Editorial Department

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(1):I-II  

Selection of trees for rubbing by the wild boar (Sus scrofa) in the Sidi Boughaba forested Moroccan Ramsar site: Assessment, implications, and perspectives

Abdellah Ichen, Saâd Hanane, Mohammed Bouaamama, Mohamed Alaoui, Najib Magri, Abdelaziz Benhoussa

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(1):11-20 | DOI: 10.17221/139/2022-JFS  

Knowledge of mechanisms by which large mammals select rubbing trees (RT) is a major challenge for the effective management of forests and wildlife resources. In this study, we investigated this issue regarding the Wild boar (Sus scrofa) in the Moroccan forested site of Sidi Boughaba as a case study. We used data from four sets of variables, namely topography, forest type, landscape composition, and microhabitat, measured at 58 rub and control trees, to determine the factors associated with the occurrence of RT by means of generalized linear mixed models. Our results showed that the RT occurrence increased with a high density of red juniper...

Forest fire area detection using Sentinel-2 data: Case of the Beni Salah national forest ‒ Algeria

Rabah Zennir, Boubaker Khallef

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(1):33-40 | DOI: 10.17221/50/2022-JFS  

Forest cover plays an important role in terms of biodiversity and the environment. The Beni Salah national forest in its part which is located in the Guelma province in the extreme northeast of Algeria is an illustrative example where forest fires represent the chronic phenomenon which weighs heavily on this forest. The present study comes after a forest fire that occurred in 2021, when 3 000 ha of this forest were ravaged by forest fires according to the conservation of forests of Guelma. The main objective of this research is to map the severity of burns and estimate the severely burned area using Sentinel-2 satellite images based on remote...

Acacia canopy structure and carbon stock in Ba Vi, Vietnam

Bui Manh Hung, Nguyen Thi Bich Phuong, Nguyen Van Quy, Nguyen Van Hop, Le Van Cuong, Yusif Habib

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(1):21-32 | DOI: 10.17221/46/2022-JFS  

Forest structure is a key component of its management and assessment in every forest ecosystem. In the study, 23 plots were established to obtain data on the acacia forest community based on tree size. Results from the study indicated that the acacia community could be broadly divided into two groups based on tree-size variables. The diameter and height frequency distributions of Group 1 were right-skewed, while those of Group 2 were more complicated. In both groups, there were positive correlations between tree-size variables, nonetheless the relationship between diameter at breast height and total height was best described using the cubic equation....

Provenance affects the growth and mortality of teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) plantations cultivated in central Nicaragua

Jakub Černý, Peter Haninec, Kateřina Novosadová, Zdeněk Patočka, Pavel Haninec, Petr Maděra

J. For. Sci., 2023, 69(1):1-10 | DOI: 10.17221/115/2022-JFS  

Teak has been planted extensively by smallholders in Central America within reforestation programmes and has become one of the most valuable timbers. The five-year growth and mortality of teak cultivated in a plantation in central Nicaragua, representing sites at the low limit of teak ecological valence, were evaluated. From 2006 to 2010, 72 pure teak stands were established, with 48.93 ha in total. For afforestation, planting stock from five provenances was used and planted at 1 m × 1 m spacing to stimulate the height growth and reduce broad crowns formed by self-pruning. In the pure teak stands, 144 permanent sample plots of 0.01 ha in size...