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To enhance the biomechanical database of plant root systems for soil reinforcement and erosion control in arid and semi-arid regions, and to provide a scientific basis for selecting superior native shrub and herb species in forestry and grassland measures for desertification control in central and western Inner Mongolia, this study investigated the root-soil interfacial friction characteristics of five typical native plant species – Caragana korshinskii and Hippophae rhamnoides, the semi-shrub Hedysarum mongolicum, and the perennial herbs Medicago sativa and Astragalus adsurgens – in two widely distributed non-zonal soils: loessial soil and aeolian sandy soil. Single-root pull-out tests were conducted on indoor-prepared root-soil composite samples to examine their responses to varying soil moisture levels. The results showed that within a soil moisture range of 4.6% to 20.6%, the single-root pull-out resistance and shear strength of all five species in both soil types followed a quadratic model Y = ax² + bx + c (with all multiple correlation coefficients > 0.5), initially increasing and then decreasing with rising moisture content. Peak values occurred at 8.6% moisture, with consistently higher values observed in loessial soil than in aeolian sandy soil. This indicates an optimal soil moisture level for maximising root-soil interfacial friction resistance. Among the species, Hippophae rhamnoides and Medicago sativa exhibited superior pull-out performance in both soils, with Hippophae rhamnoides showing greater sensitivity to environmental variations in loessial soil. Redundancy analysis identified soil type and moisture content as key factors explaining variations in root pull-out shear strength. These findings demonstrate that mixed-species plantations, leveraging complementary root traits, can form more complex and stable root-soil structures, thereby enhancing surface soil mechanical stability. Further research is needed to elucidate the adaptive mechanisms linking plant traits, environmental conditions, and biomechanical characteristics.

Forest bathing is gaining attention for its health and well-being benefits, leading to growing interest among academics, policymakers, and practitioners. While most studies have focused on its physiological and psychological effects, less is known about how different stakeholders perceive the characteristics that make forest bathing effective and meaningful. This study explored expert and non-expert perspectives on forest bathing in Italy through the Q-methodology, aiming to identify shared and divergent views on key aspects such as site features, accessibility, and perceived benefits. The results highlighted four distinct viewpoints: a scientific-health-oriented perspective emphasising medical efficacy (mainly experts); a preference for more naturalness and ecological integrity (mainly non-experts); a possible socio-economic opportunity (mainly non-experts); and a preference for a more managed forest environment with supporting structures (mainly experts). Despite differences, consensus emerged on several points, including the cultural and physical relevance of forest bathing and the importance of inclusive accessibility while preserving low-impact environments. The findings highlighted the potential of Q-methodology to capture the plurality of stakeholder voices, offering a basis for more inclusive planning and policy development in the context of nature-based well-being initiatives.

Mountain ecosystems, especially those at the highest altitudes, are sensitive to current climate change. Proxy archives may provide an insightful tool to better understand ongoing changes and evaluate future scenarios. Trees have traditionally been used as such archives, as they often respond sensitively to environmental change. Thus, we studied tree-ring records of forest-line species Abies densa Griff. growing in the Eastern Himalayas, central Bhutan, to evaluate the effect of climate on the growth of this species. The annual chronologies were generated using standard dendrochronological methods and then compared with climatic data from the CRU TS database. The results demonstrate a negative effect of summer temperatures on the width of the annual rings, suggesting possible stress caused by higher temperatures during the monsoon season. On the other hand, a positive effect of temperatures on tree growth was observed during late winter months. The response to rainfall was mixed, with a positive effect on growth in November and a negative effect in May and January, suggesting a later onset of the vegetation season. To our knowledge, we present the first dendroclimatological study on this long-lived species in central Bhutan, portraying its potential for future climate and environmental research and applications.

Due to past human activities, Abies alba Mill. (European silver fir) now covers only 0.7% of the forest area in the Sudety Mountains. A large-scale restitution program has been launched to produce, plant, and effectively protect over 200 million seedlings. This study aims to validate commonly used seedling stock types and provide critical insights into identifying the most effective one. Three-year-old bareroot seedlings were produced in the open-canopy nursery (3/0) or under-canopy nurseries in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) (3/0 Sp) or Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) H. Karst] (3/0 Ns) stands. Two stocks were produced in a greenhouse and transplanted to an open-canopy nursery (2/1) after the second year or into containers designed by Kosterkiewicz (2/1 K). Seedlings have been planted in four regions in the Sudety Mountains. Two performance characteristics have been measured: height and survival rate. Our findings demonstrate a clear gradient in sapling performance among seedling stock types (survival rate): 2/1 K (81%), 3/0 (73%), 3/0 Sp (73%), 2/1 (70%), 3/0 Ns (62%). This paper has shown that under favourable environmental conditions, bareroot seedlings can sufficiently achieve stable regeneration. Containerised seedlings perform better in harsher and more challenging microclimatic or trophic conditions. Kosterkiewicz's method presents a relatively low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative for silver fir restitution.

A lack or, conversely, an excess of water during the first growing seasons can bring about a slowdown in the growth of plants, their stagnation or even death. The necessary amount of water is not known for most hybrids of Paulownia. Therefore, one species and four hybrids were subjected to three regimes of watering to find out their impacts on plant height, radial growth, the amount of leaf biomass and leaf area. We planted 30 plants of each species/hybrid into plant pots under a shelter. At the end of the growing season, we measured the above-mentioned parameters. Our results showed that: (i) generally, a mean precipitation of 50 mm per month in the growing season ('per month') seems to be insufficient for optimal growth of Paulownia plants in the first years after planting; (ii) each species/hybrid reacts differently to the amount of water – P. Shan Tong grows better with 100 mm per month, P. tomentosa with 150 mm (and more) per month and the growth parameters of the others did not change (and remained low) with different amounts of water (P. Hybrid 9502, P. Bellissia^® and P. Clon in vitro 112^®).

Understanding society's demand for forest ecosystem services (FES) is crucial for effective forest management and the development of supportive instruments, such as payments for ecosystem services (PES). This study surveyed visitors at 'Forestry Days 2024' in Slovakia through face-to-face questionnaires, capturing their views on FES and necessary management changes. Results show that regulating services and biodiversity are prioritised over cultural and provisioning FES. Respondents indicated a clear need for changes in forest management to reflect their FES preferences. Notably, perceptions of specific FES varied by gender, age, forestry background, and forest ownership but not by residence type. Public PES were considered the most acceptable policy for enhancing FES management, providing valuable insight for aligning public preferences with sustainable practices in Slovakia.

The study aims to identify the difference between the current and future strategic management of forest ecosystem services (FES) portfolios in public enterprises of Slovakia. The case studies focus on forest enterprises in Košice, Banská Štiavnica, Kremnica, and Bratislava, representing the best practice examples of providing cultural services in the country. A marketing decision-making model, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix, was used to analyse each company's current FES portfolio. Content analysis assessed the data collected from interviews with managers of the public forest enterprises. Duncker's forest management approaches classification was applied to evaluate the future strategic management of the FES portfolio, and a horizon of 10 years was set. According to the results, the urban forest enterprise in Bratislava is an example of receiving a subsidy from the capital for building and reconstructing recreational facilities. Therefore, this FES portfolio is and will be the most balanced. The portfolio of the forest enterprises in Košice, Kremnica, and Banská Štiavnica will remain unchanged for the next decade, and they plan to use a combination management approach that caters to economic, ecological, and social needs and objectives. Urban forests in Bratislava will focus even more on close-to-nature forestry.

The environment is characterised by subtle and major mutations that cause changes in land use/land cover. Analysis of its dynamics and identification of vulnerable areas are critical to maintaining ecosystem services. The aim of this research is to quantify and qualify land cover dynamics over a 30-year period. It will also highlight forest degradation from a supervised classification of Landsat satellite imagery (L5 TM1987, L7 ETM+ 2000, and L8 OLI/TIRS 2019). The dynamics of land use/land cover were investigated by a maximum likelihood approach using geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). Six major land use and land cover (LULC) types were mapped (build-up, agriculture, forest, clearing, matorral and olive cultivation). The classification reports made it possible to assess a reduction in forest cover (from 14 470.11 ha to 5 203.26 ha) and an increase in buildings (from 6 033.69 ha to 9 515.61 ha), and agricultural land (from 9 517.59 ha to 12 338.19 ha). The results were validated by a kappa coefficient of 0.93, 0.91, and 0.96, which showed that the model had successfully predicted LULC changes. We anticipate that the results will provide a basis for decision-making as well as a starting point for further in-depth studies in sustainable management and development of natural resources in the study region.

Environmental valuation studies in the context of developing countries have become more frequent in recent years. However, literature which reviews and examines the environmental valuation studies is limited. Thus, this paper performed a literature review on forest contingent valuation studies conducted in the Ethiopian context in the past two decades (2000 to May 2022), focusing on two specific objectives: (i) to examine amounts of resources that households are willing to pay (WTP) for forest conservation, and (ii) to identify determinants of households' WTP. Results indicate the mean lower annual WTP of USD 0.41 (2.63 birr) and 7.04 man-days per household in money and labour time, respectively. Whereas the mean upper annual WTP of USD 53.52 per household in monetary payment and 94.34 man-days per household in labour time contribution are found for the management and conservation of forest in Ethiopia. The finding reveals that there is a limited proportion of the examined studies that included and estimated WTP in a non-monetary payment vehicle, implying a need for future researches on the topic. The result shows that demographic and socio-economic variables, physical assets ownership, institutional and infrastructural services and bid price variables were the main determinants of households' WTP. This suggests that the forest conservation intervention program involving public participation in the country needs to consider the identified determinants of WTP in design and implementation of the program. Moreover, the finding indicates the presence of mixed results on the effect and direction in which some determinants of WTP are affected. This recommends a pressing need for comprehensive future studies on the research theme.

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 the development of the market consumer prices and purchase prices of the venison was analysed. The conducted research further revealed that the respondents do not perceive a relationship between the production of venison and the protection of forest ecosystems. With few exceptions, they do not realise that by buying and consuming venison, they can contribute to the support of forestry. Furthermore, the perception of the role of the forest environment in relation to game meat by the public does not correspond to the need to regulate the game density to limit damage to forest stands. The results of this research are recommendations which mainly consist in expanding the offer of the primary production to products significantly closer to the consumer market (moving from a producer market to a consumer market), and the implementation of activation campaigns (tastings, presentations of opinion makers). At the same time, our work revealed the need for further development, and by increasing the value for the customer who, with the appropriate marketing strategy, can perceive this product as a premium organic food through which they contribute to sustainable forest management.

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 for such studies. This study aimed to detect species’ different susceptibility to these factors reflected in animals’ faeces. Thus, we hypothesised that near-infrared reflectance spectrometry (NIRS) could distinguish between the faecal nutrients of two cervids. We collected 94 usable faeces from both species along the forest transect in Bohemian forests in the Czech Republic, covering 2 500 ha. Roe and red deer overlap was determined using the four faecal nutritional components on two axes. No discrimination occurred, refuting our hypothesis and highlighting that out-of-control variables are critical for faecal studies in uncontrolled settings. Fibrous parts explained the most variance (48%), indicating animals’ strong reliance on nutrition quality. Apparently, uncontrolled supplementary feeding produced similar faecal nutrient outcomes during the nutrition-limiting winter, which was theoretically supported by the animal’s response to predation and hunting pressure. The inability of NIRS to identify the source of N in faeces may also explain the lack of discrimination.

This review uses a case study based on an executed afforestation project to comprehensively describe the administrative procedure regarding afforestation of agricultural land in the Czech Republic, Central Europe. We consider the official proceedings for obtaining a permit to land-use change (i.e. changing the nature of land use and the mode of land use in the real estate cadastre) as a very complex and protracted procedure, which can substantially reduce the motivation of people to establish new forests. Therefore, we propose a simplification of the administration process of land-use change. The main idea is to make the procedure as simple as possible in those areas where afforestation is desirable, especially from the environmental point of view. It assumes the possibility of quick, precise and, if possible, automatic distinction whether the afforestation is suitable or not. The situation in the Czech Republic is compared with the surrounding Central-European countries: Poland and Slovakia. In these countries, the official procedure connected with afforestation seems to be rather less complicated.

This research investigates the intricate connection between indigenous knowledge and sustainable forest management, with two main objectives. It seeks to explore and outline indigenous knowledge, elements, and practices that support sustainable forest management (SFM). It aims to uncover the invaluable traditional insights and practices that have helped preserve and ensure the responsible use of forest ecosystems. Also, it investigated global environmental policies that support indigenous knowledge since the inception of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). A narrative review method was employed to review and analyse peer-reviewed contents and reports to deduce ancestral or traditional wisdom, knowledge, practices, and beliefs from existing studies. The paper extracted data from existing literature from scholarly peer-reviewed journals. It aims to provide useful information for policy-makers, forest managers, and indigenous communities, to promote SFM and the sustainable development goals related to a sustainable environment. The study found that indigenous knowledge (IK) which includes ethnobotanical knowledge and plant selection, mixed land use, seed banks, and cultural beliefs such as sacred groves and taboos are some traditional practices, beliefs, and cultural knowledge that support SFM and can be integrated into international and national environmental management policies which the two-eyed seeing framework (TESF) seeks to promote. The framework highlights the potential of implementing IK into SFM. Also, the Akwé: Kon Guidelines, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), are some global environment policies that recognise traditional people and indigenous knowledge since the commencement of the CBD in the nineties. The paper recommends, for a future study, investigating the applicability of the Akwé: Kon Guidelines in international and national projects and programs that impact traditional sacred lands, forests and rivers, and indigenous people. Also, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement need to fully acknowledge the supporting role of indigenous knowledge and people in climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions, especially in Africa, since the majority of the world's population constitutes indigenous people who inhabit healthy standing forests and ecosystems.

The forest bioeconomy links to a climate-neutral economy for which effective economic and financial promotion is essential to sustainable development. The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of financial support on the development of the forest bioeconomy in the Czech Republic in the period 2000–2021. Research objectives were met by applying literature review, time series analysis, spatial data analysis, cartogram and cartodiagram method, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. Firstly, regional divergences in financial flows were observed. Owing to the bark beetle calamity, the peak of the financial support was detected in the Vysočina Region (CZK 4 658/EUR 190 per ha), and the Olomouc Region (CZK 2 780/EUR 113 per ha) in 2020. An upward trend – more than 6-fold growth of financial flows to forestry was found. Secondly, the forest carbon model was discovered and tested. Financial contribution for reforestation, establishment, and tending of forest stands increases net carbon sinks while financial contribution for green and environmentally friendly technologies increases net carbon sources. Regional carbon reservoirs offer the potential to contribute to climate targets and achieve sustainable progress.

This paper is focused on the description of the black mulberry (Morus nigra), its ecology and the possibilities of its in vitro propagation for quick and efficient obtaining of a large quantity of clones in a relatively short time for subsequent planting or sale. Due to ongoing climate change, it is considerable to use mulberry trees in horticulture, agroforestry and forestry under the conditions of Central Europe. The use of the mulberry is conditioned by the availability of planting stock. A proven and successful method of mulberry propagation is in vitro cultivation. Based on literature review, the recommended composition of planting media and other procedures for in vitro cultivation of mulberries are presented. The aim of the article is to inform foresters about the possibilities of using the black mulberry tree in our conditions and, using its example, to point out the possibility of using non-standard species of trees both as part of adaptation measures to the expected climate change and as one of the options for increasing the biodiversity of the landscape.

Micropropagation has enormous potential in the forestry industry for the mass production of elite genotypes. A limiting factor that hinders a wider adoption of this technique is its high associated cost, dissuading small producers and laboratories from its use. Thus, it is important to develop low-cost protocols to increase the competitiveness of micropropagation. The goal of the present study was to elaborate a low-cost culture medium that would allow plant growth without diminishing plant quality and production. The replacement of laboratory sucrose with commercial sugar as a carbon source, and laboratory agar with locally produced agar as a gelling agent was tested. To validate the effects of the medium for woody species micropropagation, two relevant forest species, chestnut and birch, were used and several phenotypic characteristics were recorded. Our data indicated that the substitutions made in the media composition did not alter growth or rooting parameters. Substitution of laboratory sucrose and Bacto agar by table sugar and local commercial agar provides a valuable alternative for forest species micropropagation and for increasing their potential profitability.

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 trees and declined with distance to the nearest footpath. Variation partitioning analysis revealed that the pure fraction of microhabitat was the most robust in explaining this occurrence (adj. R² = 0.17, P < 0.001), followed by that of forest type (adj. R² = 0.05, P < 0.05). A scientific monitoring system must be set up to strike a balance between the availability of forest trees on the one hand and the pressure exerted by wild boars on this internationally importance site on the other. It is imperative to test the geographical generality of our results in other Mediterranean forests.

Forests as a part of landscape do not fulfil their economic function (timber production) only but a lot of other non-economic functions, especially ecological ones. Both economic and non-economic functions are indisputable and equally important for society. The aim of this paper is to identify current attitudes to forest perceptions by citizens in the Czech Republic. Primary data were obtained by means of a questionnaire research survey which was carried out in 2018. Altogether 824 respondents took part in this survey (n = 824). From the results follows that approximately 70% of respondents visit forest at least three times a month. In connection with this, the relationship between respondents' forest visit frequency and the forest density in the region where they come from was confirmed. 60% of respondents consider the forest exploitation and forest management to be the most important cause of damage and threats to forest. In relation to forest, 46% of respondents consider forest conservation and protection to be the most important topics.

Considering the importance of recreation and excursions in household's basket of expenditures on the one hand, and not paying attention to the economic value of recreational function for natural resources and environment as non-market goods on the other hand, this paper was written with the aim of estimating the recreational value of Shahid Zare Sari Forest Park when using the individual travel cost method. Requested data sets were obtained by completing questionnaires from 302 individuals who visited the above-mentioned park in 2012-2013. In the individual travel cost method, for the investigation of distributional effects of variables on the number of travels, a linear regression model was applied. For this purpose the travel generation function using linear, double log, linear-log and log-linear forms was estimated. Among these forms, according to the econometrical parameter, a linear function was selected and parameters were estimated based on the method of ordinary least squares. The consumer surplus was 12.53 USD per each visit and the annual recreational value of 72,500 people who visited the park annually was 52,558 USD.ha^-1. The findings also showed that the involved variables, travel costs, income and visitor's distance were statistically significant at 1% level and family and education were significant at 5% level. Results revealed that forest parks have a considerable recreational value that, from this point of view, can help programmers and executives, social and economic managers in the preservation planning and sustainable utilization of natural resources.

Increasing productivity and reducing cost in long-distance transportation have become increasingly important in the logistics of forest harvesting operations. This paper presents the research results of the performance of loading with Volvo 4500 BM and timber trucking using two types of common trucks in the Nav watershed in Iran. Both trucks can carry logs shorter than 7.8 m in length. The study used a time study based on empirical data for loads collected from one procurement district in the Nav watershed. The models included the following explanatory factors: driving distance, number of logs, and load volume. The time consumption and productivity of loading and timber trucking depends on several variables such as volume and number of logs per cycle. To evaluate the current transportation system in the Nav watershed, the empirical time study was conducted. Since transportation includes several phases and since many factors affect the work performance, significant variation in the total transportation time was observed. This makes planning and cost accounting more difficult. The models developed in the study are a promising way to support route planning and optimization, and cost and profitability calculation for trucking en­trepreneurs and the forest industry. The average productivity of log transportation was 2.84 and 3.4 m3.effective h-1 for the dump truck and chassis truck, respectively. The average hauling unit cost was 18 and 15 USD.m-3 in the dump truck and chassis truck, respectively.

The strong market competition forces forest owners to find innovative approaches to forest management, and business models are becoming integral parts of successful innovations and business strategies. This paper deals with the applicability of a business model (as an innovation tool) for small forest owners. The main objectives were to design a business model applicable in the forestry sector and to find the innovative business alternatives for the small-scale forest owner reflecting the local situation (in a case study in the Czech Republic). The extended business model CANVAS was used. The embedded data was evaluated on the software developed at the Savonia University in Finland where business opportunity and competitive advantage were the main evaluation criteria. As a result, a proposed strategy was advised to be followed. The biggest added value of the extended CANVAS model is giving an objective and unbiased evaluation of the situation of small forest owners. The business model design proved a usable and applicable tool to be used in forest management, for the research has shown that the quantitative data should be complemented by qualitative research in order to get the complex view.

Forest fires under conditions of the Czech Republic are evaluated from the aspect of their frequency of occurrence in 1992-2004 at a level of particular years, seasons, days and daytime, and causes of their origin. They are confronted with a situation in the CR in 1974-1983. Effects of climatic conditions are a limiting factor not only for the frequency of their origin but also for the size of the burnt area. Spring (April) and summer (August) culminations were balanced. The burnt area of the best part of forest fires (88.9%) was < 1 ha. The increased frequency of forest fires was noted in afternoon hours and during weekends. Areas threatened by fires are characterized by the increased visit number. In the spectrum of causes, a dominant position is taken up by fire raising, smoking and management in the forest. Railway operation and lightning represent minority causes of the origin of forest fires. In the course of the year, the structure of forest fire origin changes depending on activities in the forest and visit number.

We evaluated recreational and socioeconomic values of Masouleh forest park, north of Iran. Travel Cost Method (TCM) or Clawson method was used for evaluation. Therefore, 96 questionnaires were distributed among the visitors. The results indicated that the variables such as travel time to the park, travel costs, age and education were effective variables in using the park. The results show that there is a significant relation between travel time and the number of visitors whereas by increasing travel time the number of visitors decreased. Furthermore, there is a significant relation between the number of visitors as a dependent variable and travel costs whereas when the travel cost increases, the number of visitors decreases. Results indicated that the willingness to pay decreased by increasing the entrance fee. The models estimated an average willingness to pay 12,500 Iranian Rials per visit. The results also indicated that the average round trip travel cost was 85.5 (10,000 Iranian Rials).

Preference of biotopes and selection of food by wild herbivores are more complicated in a cultural landscape used for agriculture than in natural conditions. Agricultural management significantly affects the feeding as well as cover conditions of the environment and changes in quality and accessibility of food sources occur throughout the year. We studied the consumption of agricultural crops and impact on tree shoots by herbivores in a mosaic landscape. Large herbivores utilized the food supply on the lands outside the forest environment during winter and early spring and in summer. In summer the cereal grains were preferred by herbivores and accounted for a significant share in their diet. The intensity of shoot browsing differed between the localities and between the studied woody species but was not lower due to the presence of attractive crops near the forest. The utilization of food outside the forest may help the animals to survive the winter but the potential of this food for reducing tree browsing in the forest is low.

The effects of soil conditioners TerraCottem, Frisol, Bio-algeen and fertilisers Silvamix Forte and Cererit on the survival rate and growth of European ash seedlings until the stage called established plantation were observed on two experimental plots with different anthropogenic substrates. Eight-year experiments showed that under the given conditions the tested agents fulfilled the declared effects only partially. The application of TerraCottem was statistically insignificant both in the survival rate and in the growth. In the applied dose, Frisol manifested itself as an agent that may cause problems with the survival of plants, but at the same time also as a preparation improving the overall growth of young plants statistically significantly. Its effective dosage largely depends on the soil character. Bio-algeen had a very good effect on the survival rate of plants, but it did not surpass the control plants in the initial growth of plants. Silvamix Forte did not cause the mortality of seedlings and influenced the growth of plants statistically significantly for 1-3 years. In the applied dose, Cererit caused a high mortality of seedlings. The application of soil conditioners and Silvamix Forte did not markedly accelerate the growth and development until the stage of the established plantation. Until that time, the costs of the application of conditioners were higher by 4-13% as compared with the costs in the control plants.

The nun moth (Lymantria monacha /L./) is a polyphagous pest feeding on coniferous and deciduous trees in Eurasia. This paper, based on a literature review, presents an overview of the nun moth outbreaks in Czech forests from 1784 to 2010 in terms of host tree species. At least 22 genera of host trees, bushes and herbs were recorded in the Czech Republic. On the other hand 2 genera were evaluated like non-hosts and 4 genera like indifferent. The nun moth defoliated mainly coniferous forests (almost 90 % of all recorded outbreaks with known data about host trees) in the Czech Republic. Forests with mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees were defoliated nine times less frequent, and only insignificant portion were recorded in clearly deciduous forests. Although wide host range, the nun moth has defoliated predominantly spruce forests (almost 70 %). Mixed coniferous (with mixture of spruce, pine, larch, fir) forests were attacked three times less frequently then the spruce forests. Pine and larch forests were defoliated in low range. Defoliations were sorted also according the intensity. Spatial distribution of the recorded outbreaks was displayed in maps.

Anew approach to forestry that increasingly values non-timber forest functions brings new interest and value also to coppice forests. A case study in the Voskop nature reserve located in the Český kras Protected Landscape Area was focused on a comparison of the timber production of individually growing trees and in multistemmed trees resprouting after cutting (stools). We recorded tree ecological characteristics of trees such as existence of stem cavities, whether the tree grows individually or from a stool and whether or not the tree is broken, dead or has a dying crown. In total 2,670 trees were sampled on a 1,875 ha sample plot. The main tree species forming coppice stands are Quercus petraea and Carpinus betulus. The total stock volume of only 136 m³.ha^-1 is very low at 84 years of age. The stock volume of individually growing trees is 84 m³.ha^-1 and the stock volume of trees in stools is only 52 m³.ha^-1 although the number of individually growing trees is lower.

Currently, recreation is the most common use of protected areas and there are scarce data on the users and their opinion. The research was focused on visitors to the Blaník Protected Landscape Area (hereafter referred to as PLA), a well-known recreational area where data on visitors, important for PLA management, are missing. Therefore, the aim of the paper is find out: what kind of visitors comes to the study area; the type of forest trails and tourist facilities the visitors prefer. A questionnaire survey of forest visitors was used. Results show that the visitors mostly prefer maintained trails. According to forest visitors' opinion, the most convenient facility to place near the forest tourist trail is the nature trail panels. Furthermore, based on the acquired data, it was possible to create a visitor's profile which is important for respective research and other case studies in similar areas, and for managers of protected landscape areas to comply with both the visitors' needs and the needs of the protected area.

This paper contains the information about some principles of sustainable forestry which are still relevant in the world. In 2002, Lithuania started research on the nutrient balance in forest ecosystems when the forest fuel is harvested. The consequences of the intensive forest fuel harvesting on the forest ecosystem were analysed. At the same time, the experiment on the compensatory wood ash fertilizing was established in Lithuania. After the initial calculations, having the experimental data, the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania has initiated the preparation of the Recommendations for compensating wood ash fertilization in the forests. This review briefly systematizes and analyses the main results of the related research and some ideas for the future studies are also presented.

Coal combustion by-products (stabilizate, FDG gypsum) generated by the thermal power station in Ledvice were tested on an above-level dump of the Bílina Mine in the North Bohemian Brown Coal Basin during the reclamation of its surface for forestry purposes. A part of the experimental object was treated with coal combustion by-products at a dose of 700-1,000 t/ha that were incorporated into the soil profile by very deep ploughing and the other part was left untreated for comparison. A one-year preparatory agrocycle was conducted on the entire experimental object - growing of Leucosinapis alba for green manuring and for reforestation bareroot and container-grown planting material was set out into dug holes [Larix deciduas L., Pinus nigra Arn., Pinus sylvestris L., Quercus robur L., Carpinus betulus L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Acer platanoides L., Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., Fraxinus excelsior L., Tilia cordata Mill., Betula verrucosa Ehrh.]. The assessment of the experimental object at the age of 7 years indicated that as a result of the application of stabilizate and FDG gypsum there was an increase in porosity, water-retaining capacity, soil alkalinity and carbonate content; the soil-forming process was characterized by a decrease in soil alkalinity whereas the high alkalinity of the soil horizon treated with this amendment did not negatively influence the growth vitality of most tree species taxa used for reforestation.