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The aim of this study was to investigate tree-ring width variability and to distinguish groups of trees with similar growth trends in order to study tree growth responses to various stand and site conditions. The methods of cluster analysis were employed for this purpose. Four distinct groups of trees were identified. For each group, the mean tree-ring curve was calculated in order to look for the main signals that distinguish the groups from one another. The idea behind this was to divide the samples into homogeneous groups with similar growth trends, representing typical examples of variability of the studied Norway spruce population. In the next step, several regression functions were studied and compared for their ability to fit the ring-width-age data applied to the mean ring-width curve of each group. Fischer's F-test was used to test the differences in goodness of fit between the equations in each group. From all examined/applied equations, smoothing spline, polynomial of degree 5, and Šmelko-Burgan functions were found to be the most universal and suitable for detrending of all examined ring width curves. Hugershoff function was found to be suitable for curves with one local maximum only. Exponential and Korf's functions were unsatisfactory for the purposes of tree ring curves detrending.

This paper documents the development of soil conditions in the set of 32 permanent research plots in the Krkonoše (Giant) Mts. These plots represent an altitudinal gradient covering the ecosystems of beech, mixed beech-spruce and spruce stands. In all plots, representing the site conditions of the highest areas of the mountain range, standard soil pits were prepared and the soil sampling was performed in autumn of years 1980, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2009. The results reflect extreme site conditions, soil acidification, large scale surface liming and in minor extent also different tree species composition of the stands. The general type of the soil-genesis is represented by the podzolisation, overlapping the other soil-genetic factors, including the tree species composition. Nevertheless, this development is mostly expressed in the spruce stands. The beech dominance and/or co-dominance are reflected especially by more efficient N-cycling, higher pH, S and V values and fluctuation and lower extractable Al3+ content. More efficient cycling in beech ecosystems is insignificantly documented for plant available phosphorus, calcium and magnesium contents; on the contrary higher dynamics for iron ions was registered in the spruce stands. The long-term soil dynamics with a hysteresis (evident on the base of ordination analysis) can be divided into some periods - processes of acidification (typical in the 1980's samples), liming (main effect in 1993 and 1998) and regeneration (2003, 2009). Other features, important for the soil development, are probably related to the vegetation change, but this relation is not statistically significant.

This paper deals with the measurement and evaluation of pedunculate and sessile oaks on five provenance trial plots located in the forest regions Západočeská pahorkatina, Jihočeská pánev, Hornomoravský úval, Dolnomoravský úval, Bílé Karpaty and Vizovické vrchy at the age of 20 years. Height and diameter growth were measured and analysed and the quality of tree stems was recorded. Sampled seeds originated from certified stands for seed production located in the Hercynian and Carpathian regions of the Czech Republic. Differences between the two species result from their ecological requirements. A comparison of the two species indicates that pedunculate oak at young age grows better than sessile oak in its typical site conditions. Sessile oak grows relatively worse on the plots situated in floodplain site conditions because it does not tolerate the high levels of groundwater. But the differences were not statistically significant. Significant differences in growth parameters were confirmed within each species among plots and provenances. Large differences in stem shape quality were also recorded already in the early growth phase. In some provenances straight stems were present in up to 56% of the individuals, however, in others straight stems did not appear at all. The total results showed that some pedunculate and sessile oak provenances are more adaptable to site conditions and they suffer lower losses while achieving very good growth.

An experiment with seedlings of Alnus viridis was established on a clear-felled tract situated on a summit tableland of the Jizerské hory Mts. (central Europe, Czech Republic) at an altitude of 980 m a.s.l. The aims of the experiment were (i) to evaluate the response of A. viridis to the application of a basic mixture containing crushed limestone and amphibolite and (ii) to assess the growth potential of the species in a poor acidic site under climatically harsh conditions. Alnus viridis showed a good growth performance and survival rate, its initial response to fertilization was positive. The height growth and expansion of crowns were slightly but significantly stimulated by the treatment, the survival rate was also increased, though not significantly. The amendment application temporarily increased the foliar Ca and Mg concentrations. The content of foliar P, of the most deficient macroelement, was not improved by the treatment. However, the positive effect of fertilization was short-lasting and unconvincing from the aspect of practical use. In the second half of the reference period the control started to gain on the fertilized variant and as for mean height and crown diameter, both variants got almost equalized eight growing seasons after the treatment.

The paper deals with the establishment of the coppice and coppice-with-standards research object under the project Biodiversity and Target Management of Endangered and Protected Species in Coppices and Coppices-with-Standards Included in the System of NATURA 2000. It summarizes reasoning which preceded the selection of the site and provides a detailed description of the methodology of experimental site establishment. It specifies the rules of felling which was planned with the objective to simulate the impact of coppice and coppice-with-standards on biodiversity of endangered and protected species. It also describes the stand condition prior to and after the implemented felling, with additional emphasis on coppice-with-standards. Individual felling variants which were implemented were characterized by varying felling intensity. Close attention is paid to the evaluation of standards which is expressed by a system of score classes.

The impact of blue spruce (Picea pungens) and reed Calamagrostis villosa) cover on quantity and quality of upper soil layers was investigated. The research was conducted in the Jizerské hory Mts., Czech Republic (altitude 880 m, acidic spruce forest site type - 8K). Mean weight of dry matter of holorganic horizons was similar under both variants. Totally, there were accumulated 153 t/ha of dry matter of humus horizons in blue spruce and 174 t/ha in reed. Soil pH (KCl) varied from 3.7 to 3.2 under blue spruce stand and from 3.6 to 3.3 under reed. The differences of concentrations of nutrients (P, K, Ca, Mg) were not found significant either. Only L horizon showed significant differences: there were higher values of cation exchangeable capacity (T) and higher content of exchangeable bases (S) under reed. We found very similar forest-floor humus properties under both species. Therefore we can not state worsening of the soil conditions under blue spruce compared to areas covered with tested forest weed species.

The spreading of bulldozer-formed windrows represents a second stage of the site restoration with bulldozers utilization in the Ore Mts. In the first period, bulldozers were used to create windrows for mechanized reforestation of immission-declined stands, causing profound devastation of forest sites, because removed surface humus was the only source of nutrients and environment for tree species roots. Preparatory stands have been established, and have to undergo re-construction in the coming years. Nowadays, the windrows are spread by the bulldozers again, covering 1/3 f the whole area between windrows by the rest of holorganic matter. This substratum is impoverished by the extensive mineralization and connected nutrient (especially N) losses, representing differently suitable space for tree rooting. Presented paper documents the effects of fertilization by different types of the SILVAMIX fertilizer on the growth and prosperity of new spruce plantations. Effects of fertilization are visible very soon and they are significantly beneficial for the new forest plantations.

Interest in conifer-broadleaf mixedwood forests has greatly increased due to continuous demand for hardwood products and a shift towards more biological or ecosystem-based management. In British Columbia, more than 30% of the productive forest land is a conifer-broadleaf mixture and current forest regulations are more conifer biased rather than maintaining a mixed-species condition. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of paper birch on white spruce growth. Spruce growth data from 10 to 18 years old complex stands indicate that radial, height, and stem volume was not impacted by retaining up to 3,000 stems.ha^-1 of birch. Similarly, growth and yield model projections suggest spruce-birch stands would be more productive up to a threshold birch density (3,000 stems.ha^-1) than pure spruce stands. At a 4% real interest rate, the removal of birch from these stands does not appear to be warranted as an investment. The results suggest that instead of encouraging uniform broadleaf removal across conifer plantations, mixed species management strategies could enhance the forest productivity, stand diversity and resilience.

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.

Only two cambioxylophagous species (Ips amitinus and Pityogenes chalcographus) were found on sections of Picea pungens and Picea abies that belong to economically important pests of Norway spruce. Representatives of the Isarthron sp. (Cerambycidae) were developed on the examined sections of both P. abies and P. pungens. The monitoring of attractiveness of the spruce species P. pungens and P. abies to cambioxylophages revealed that P. pungens was more intensively attacked by I. amitinus while P. chalcographus was more abundant on P. abies. Both bark beetle species preferred shaded parts of tree trunks, although their development was more successful on the sun-exposed side. On P. pungens, abundance of P. chalcographus decreased and abundance of I. amitinus increased with increasing trunk volume. Blue spruce was more attractive to Isarthron sp. compared to Norway spruce.

Liming was and still is carried out in many European forests since the beginning of the 1980s. Main objectives of compensation liming is to neutralize actual acidic deposition in order to prevent further soil acidification, to increase base saturation and acid buffering capacity of the soil. This paper evaluates results from long-term liming experiments throughout Europe using different amounts and forms of liming materials. Differences in forest ecosystem reaction to liming can be caused by amount, form and frequency of the application, and by the solubility, reaction kinetics, contents and composition of the material used. Furthermore, other factors like climate, site history, management, environmental conditions (e.g. actual and historical deposition rates), humus form, C/N ratio, nitrogen stores, and the soil chemical properties (e.g. pH, base saturation, CEC) may strongly influence the effects of liming treatments. Element budgets of forested ecosystems on a plot or watershed scale provide a very useful tool to integrate the various effects of additional Mg inputs via liming/fertilization.

Biochar (BC), the carbon-rich by-product resulting from pyrolysis of biomass, is used for bioenergy and increasingly as a soil additive for carbon sequestration and soil improvement. However, information about the effects of BC on forest productivity and reforestation success, especially on boreal and temperate forest soils, is scant. We examined the effects of two BC types (Canadian and Finnish) added in proportions up to 60 vol.% into a common alluvial silty soil on the growth of transplanted Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) seedlings in a growth chamber. We found no marked differences in seedling growth among the binary growing media mixes used. Seedling growth attributes (seedling height, terminal shoot growth, root volume) differed consistently only between the BC types in the highest proportion used. The terminal shoot growth differed overall among the two BC types. These results suggest that BC may be applied into mineral soils without detrimental chemical effects on tree plantation success. Our results provide foundation for further field research on the longer-term impacts of adding BCs to boreal forest soils.

A road network in forest lands provides easy access to forest resources for extraction, regeneration, protection and recreation activities. Erosion from forest roads and skid trails is a major concern in forest management due to the capability to cause adverse environmental effects. The objective of this paper is to introduce two methods for reducing erosion on forest roads and skid trails: water diversion and vegetation cover. Factors affecting erosion on forest roads and skid trails are climate, quality of forest road surfacing material, traffic, slope and vegetation cover. There are several management practices to mitigate the impact of logging and forest road and skid trail construction on stream water quality. Sediments delivered to streams from roads and skid trails lead to a number of dramatic effects on water quality and aquatic life. These management practices were found to be effective in controlling and reducing the runoff volume and soil erosion. Therefore, management and maintenance of forest roads and skid trails are essential elements to mitigate erosion.

A few individuals of Grayish oak have been observed in the Low Murgia Plateau, Puglia Region. This is the first time that Quercus pedunculiflora C. Koch has been found in Italy. The territory is dominated by olive trees, where spontaneous vegetation occurs only in residual patches in particular along an important old dry erosion stream, Lama Lamasinata. Individuals of Grayish oak are located along a rural road and in a closed abandoned park which is in the vicinity of Lama Lamasinata, near Balsignano, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Low Murgia Plateau. In the area other deciduous oaks such as Italian pubescent oak, the most common spontaneous oak in the western district of the Murgia Plateau, and Hungarian oak, which is very rare in the Low Murgia Plateau, have been observed.

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.

The Bohemian-Moravian Upland shows a large-scale decline and dieback of Norway spruce up to the forest altitudinal vegetation zone (FAVZ) 5. This phenomenon has been observed in the last 7 years and its progress is rapid. Healthy, declining and standing dry trees of equal height were mutually compared in nine forest stands (aged 3-73 years). These parameters were measured: increment dynamics, root system architecture, biomass, fine root vitality and mycorrhiza, infestation by biotic and abiotic agents. Analyses were done for 414 trees, soil characteristics and weather course data covered the period 1961-2004. Warming and precipitation deficit are the predisposition factors. Weakened trees are aggressively infested by the honey fungus (Armillaria mellea), and they die from root rots. In this paper we describe the mechanism of damage to and dieback of the spruce trees concerned.

Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) Christmas tree plantations in North Carolina are infested by root rot caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi. This disease kills almost 100% of Fraser fir material and leaves the soil permanently infested. Control crossings of Mediterranean fir hybrids Abies cilicica × Abies cephalonica with Abies fraseri were performed to ensure possibly resistant hybrid material of desired Christmas tree parameters. Pollen of various clones of A. fraseri was shipped to the Czech Republic by NCSU. Control pollinations were performed in April/May 2010 and 2011 in our hybridization seed orchards. Female strobili were isolated in the period of their highest receptibility. Cones were collected during September. Cones were dried and completely disintegrated. Basic parameters of cones and seeds were assessed for each seed lot. Seed samples of the individual seed lots were X-rayed for assessment of the final share of full seeds. In 2010, the most successful combination CZ2 × NC81 brought 7% of viable seeds. In 2011 the most successful combination was CZ2 × NC26 with 18% of viable seeds.

The objective of research was, on the basis of the exactly predefined input parameters of upper soil horizons of selected forest soils, to perform accurate measurements of the impact of soil loading by tested forestry machinery using the dynamic penetration test. The measurements by the dynamic penetration test in conditions changed by the wheel traffic of forestry mechanization were performed at three localities of the Křtiny Training Forest Enterprise, Masaryk Forest, a special-purpose facility of Mendel University in Brno. The dynamic penetration test was performed with a lightweight dynamic penetrometer. The methodology of the research is based on assessing the ability of soils to resist dynamic penetration of a rod with a cone, in relation to their lithological composition and physicomechanical properties; the measurement itself is defined by the ISO 22476-2 (2005) standard. Penetrometer measurements were repeated in the period after a harvesting operation and again 6 months later, i.e. in October 2007, April 2008 and October 2008. The results of the field dynamic penetration test and the results of laboratory testing of main soil physical parameters are presented in figures and tables. Besides the naturally variable soil compaction on geologically different substrates, the obtained original results document differences in the impact of particular forestry machines. In conditions of the identical geological substrate, the results indicate that the universal wheeled tractor had a more negative influence on the compaction of surface soil horizons compared to the multi-axle harvester and the forwarder.

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.

A growing need for the evaluation of prospects and sustainability of forest resources calls for the availability of harmonized data on forest distribution. We described and evaluated nine datasets providing such information: Corine LandCover, four European forest maps and four tree species distribution maps. Apart from providing a condensed overview of these datasets, we focused on the match between selected forest maps and forest management plans (FMPs) of Slovakia, which can be thought of as highly accurate information on forest distribution. The degree of match between forest and species area, within 306 forest administrative districts of Slovakia, was used as an indicator of accuracy. In addition, the match between the total forest and species area in Slovakia, given by FMPs and by evaluated datasets, was addressed. We found a high degree of match for the datasets on forest distribution (R-square 0.77-0.93, depending on the dataset), as well as strong agreement in total forest area (± 5%). Both indicators are worse in the case of forest type evaluation (coniferous and broadleaved). Poor results were obtained for tree species maps, which under- or overestimated species areas by tens of per cent, although differences were highly variable among species. The obtained results are valid mainly for temperate forests.

The maps of altitude, geology, vegetation cover and land use were prepared and classified as the main criteria to locate soil and water conservation programs. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to determine the relative priorities of these criteria by pairwise comparison. All the thematic maps were then integrated using the overlay process in Geographical Information System (GIS) and the final map of soil erosion risk was produced. Results indicated that vegetation cover was given the highest weight (0.494). The geology was assigned the second highest weight (0.313), as the main cause of initiation of the erosion of erodible lands. Land-use change has a local influence on soil erosion, so it was assigned the third weight (0.151). Altitude is a low-impact variable for predicting the water and soil conservation areas.

The paper is the 6^th report on the production potential and stability of mixed forest stands in uplands. A mixed beech/larch stand that was established by natural regeneration in 1934 to 1942 is assessed. The stand is situated at an altitude of 460 m above sea level. It has been left to its natural development since 1961. At that time, the stand was characterized as an individually mixed, diameter- and height-differentiated 25-year pole-stage stand. The proportion of larch and beech amounted to 40% and 17%, respectively. Hornbeam (25%), oak (11%) and to a lesser extent birch (5%) and spruce (3%) also occurred in the stand. In the course of 42 years, the proportion of larch in this stand without planned thinning measures decreased to 35%. On the other hand, the proportion of beech increased to 39%. During all 5-year inventories, the stand could be characterized as a stabilized one with high production potential. Its initial growing stock 63 m³/ha at an age of 25 years increased to 497 m³/ha at an age of 67 years in 2003. At present, current volume increment amounts to 9.8 to 12.5 m³/ha/year.

The foliar nutrient status was examined in a degraded Greek fir (Abies cephalonica Loud.) forest in Mount Parnitha near Athens, Greece. The examination lied in comparing the foliar concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, N, P, Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu with the critical values referring to conifers and the elemental percentages with regard to N of the forest with the corresponding percentages of a healthy Bulgarian fir (Abies borisii regis) stand, the closest relative of the Greek fir. It was found that the needles of the Greek fir had significantly lower concentrations from the N and P critical values. Significant differences were found for the Ca/N, Mg/N, P/N, Fe/N and Mn/N percentages. Significant correlations for the Greek fir were found between needle weight and foliar N as well as between needle weight and the percentages Ca/N and Fe/N. It is highly probable that N and P in the Greek fir are in short supply.

The paper presents the results of laboratory tests aimed at the study of storage place, storage manner and storage time in relation to mechanical properties of briquettes made from spruce shavings. A BrikStar 50 briquetting press with a pressure chamber 65 mm in diameter of the Briklis firm was used for the briquette production. All briquettes were made at the constant adjustment of all parameters of the briquetting press. The briquette properties were evaluated by determination of their density and rupture force. Moreover, mechanical durability, gross calorific value, total mois­ture and ash content were determined. It follows from the results of tests that at briquette storage in a well closed plastic bag neither place nor storage time influenced significantly their life time. At briquette storage in a net plastic bag various intensive damage to briquettes occurred, mainly depending on their storage place and storage time.

The present paper compares the growth of parent trees and potentially stress-tolerant mixtures of clones of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) progenies coming from a specific locality near the Černá hora peat bog in the Krkonoše Mts. Growth was studied in generative ortet plantations in Trutnov locality and in a mountain ortet plantation Lesní bouda, in the 1^st generation clone plantation Benecko and in the 2^nd generation clone plantation in the Černohorská rašelina locality. In the latter locality chlorophyll fluorescence and water losses during controlled desiccation were also measured in selected clones compared to control (generatively propagated) spruces. Partial data acquired until now prove the good growth dynamics and physiological state of some clones in extreme climatic conditions indicating that cuttings were taken from vital parent trees growing in exposed mountain localities. Growth relations among the clones were identical in all evaluated localities. The growth of the 2^nd generation clone plantation has been markedly influenced by plantation and specific site conditions until now. The mutual interaction of clone growth and site conditions can change in time and therefore the study of clone plantations will continue in the years to come.

Like in other types of forests the greatest changes in the soil of floodplain forest stands occur during their regeneration. These changes are manifested as changes in the content and dynamics of organic matter in the soil. Research was conducted in oak and ash floodplain forests in the eastern part of Croatia and in southern Moravia in the Czech Republic. The results showed that the type and extent of these changes depended, in addition to environmental factors, also on the technology of forest regeneration. The natural regeneration of oak in floodplain forests of Spačva (eastern Croatia) protects soil from dramatic changes in soil by successive regeneration felling and that it retains the plant cover permanently. The weight of organic matter on the soil surface is increased after regeneration till the period when the effect of thinning becomes evident (about 70 years). In the surface mineral layer of soil the pH value increases after shelterwood felling. Stand regeneration with clear-cutting results in a rapid change in the conditions of surface humus accumulation and decomposition. The process of organic residue accumulation is interrupted in the clearings. In the preparation of soil/site by ploughing, the concentrations of nitrogen and carbon slightly decrease. The management impact depends on the method of site preparation for the establishment of a new stand. The selection of a method of the floodplain forest regeneration (particularly of oak) is markedly dependent on actual ecological conditions and on ecological and historical experience of the given region.

The study is already the 5^th account on the production potential and stability of mixed forest stands in uplands. A spruce/beech stand established in the mid-30s of the 20^thcentury is assessed. The stand is situated at an altitude of 470 m and since 1960, it is left to its spontaneous development. At that time, the stand was characterized as a silviculturally neglected dense spruce young growth to a small pole-stage stand with an admixture of beech (spruce 71%, beech 13%). In the course of 41 years, spruce proportion in the stand without intentional thinning measures decreased from 71 to 56% and, vice versa, beech proportion increased from 13 to 31%. Present dominant and co-dominant position of spruce in the stand, its health condition and development in recent years indicate that the ecosystem under evaluation is stabilized fulfilling all functions on the given site at an age of 65 years. The stand is permanently fully stocked and its initial standing volume of 109 m³/ha at an age of 24 years in 1960 increased to 560 m³/ha at an age of 65 years in 2001.

Detailed research is necessary to better understand ecological adaptations of Pinus pumila (Pall.) Regel as a species, whose biological properties are vital for its survival. In the Svyatoi Nos Peninsula, three sites differing in altitude were selected. At all sites the growth form of P. pumila was determined. At the high and medium sites, the following parameters were measured: linear increment on terminal branches, leaf mass per area and the content of nitrogen per unit leaf area. Anatomical studies were carried out on shoots and four needle-year classes. It was found that needles were longer and narrower at the medium site when compared to the high site. Leaf mass per area was higher and a substantial increase in older needles occurred at the high site. Nitrogen content per unit leaf area served as an indicator of assimilation capacity and was higher at the high site. We can conclude that P. pumila has xeromorphic needles, higher assimilation capacity, better protection ability against pathogens and slower growth rate of terminal branches at the high site. Important is also a significant increment of the growth rate of terminal branches at the high site in recent years. Therefore, data obtained from sites at the upper forest limit are valuable in assessing the climate changes and are useful for the forest management practice in mountain areas.

Natural regeneration and its relationship to micro-relief and weed competition were studied on 6 research plots in mountain spruce forests in the Šumava Mountains. The data on density regeneration, total height and height increment of each seedling were recorded on 50 by 5 m transects. The position of each seedling was adjusted by a satellite system "Field map". The data show that an elevation is a significantly (significance level P = 0.99) preferable micro-relief for seedlings in most cases (7 of the total 9 cases). The regeneration density is low in a high-competition environment, i.e. in grass and ferns, where the number of seedlings is significantly low on all surveyed plots. But dead wood, which is also an elevation in terms of the micro-relief, is the most preferable micro-site. The data show no significant differences in seedling heights due to differently dominant competing plants. Neither was the hypothesis about the beneficial influence of stem or stump in close surroundings on seedlings confirmed by our data.

The paper evaluates snow accumulation and the intensity of snow melting in a young spruce and beech stand. The study was carried out at the Deštné field research station in the Orlické hory Mts. (altitude 900 m, WSW aspect) in winter seasons 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008. The process of snow accumulation and melting was markedly affected or disturbed by the nearly total damage to the spruce stand by top breakage due to the extreme load of wet snow. Winter 2005/2006 was characterized by extreme parameters of snowpack (maximum depth of snow in spruce 157 cm, in beech 164 cm, maximum snow water equivalent in spruce 819 mm, in beech 833 mm). From the aspect of the snow cover duration, winter 2006/2007 was below the average, winter 2007/2008 was average. With respect to the significant reduction of the spruce crown biomass after snow breakage in winter 2005/2006, no significant differences were noted either in snow depth or in snow water equivalent in the spruce and beech stands. The rate of snow melting in the spruce and beech stands was never higher than 50 mm per day. If the spring final stage of snow melting is not accompanied by intensive rainstorms, mountain coniferous and broadleaved forest ecosystems reduce the danger of stormflows and floods within the required degree.