Vitality of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) at the limit of its natural range in Poland Dorota DOBROWOLSKA Forest Research Institute, Sękocin Stary, Braci Leśnej 3, 05-090 Raszyn, Poland, e-mail:
[email protected]
ARTICLE INFO published in Pol. J. Ecol. (2015) 63: 260–272 received after revision February 2015 doi 10.3161/15052249PJE2015.63.2.009
key words natural regeneration beech stands vitality defoliation
ABSTRACT The European beech is a major component of central European forests, and the eastern limit of its range lies in Poland. However, the Holocene migration of the beech is not yet finished, especially in NE Poland, so the northern distribution of the beech continues to change. The main goal of this study was to determine if the beech will reach its northern limit in the future. The investigation was carried out in 18 beech stands in Poland. To study the status of the health of the trees, circular plots were established in grids of different sizes. The basal beech stand area ranged from 3.7 m2 ha-1 to 31.2 m2 ha-1. The density of trees exceeded a hundred trees per hectare in most of the plots (61%), and the average degree of defoliation was not greater than 60% in all of the investigated stands. Environmental conditions influenced defoliation of beech trees (Fisher’s test, F = 4.0204; P
