Obsah/Content: ZLV 1/2025
ZLV, 70, 2025, Číslo 10 - 0.
Factors such as poor management of target tree species, planting regime and location, along with ongoing climate change, have the potential to reduce shelterbelt functionality and affect the physical and chemical properties of soil. In this study, we compared soil texture and carbon and nitrogen at 0–10 and 10–20 cm within and on the windward and leeward sides of an established windbreak. Windbreak soils typically had lower carbon and nitrogen levels than the surrounding arable soil, and also showed a higher proportion of sand (1.5–2.0 mm) than arable land, especially at 0–10 cm. Differences in windbreak soil textural differentiation were more significant at 10–20 cm, especially on the windward side, which showed a higher proportion of finer particles (< 0.002 mm and 0.002–0.01 mm) than the leeward side. The proportion of sand in arable soil increased gradually, however, from the outer boundary of the windrow to the furthest sampling point. Our results showed that soil properties close to the windbreak and within the windbreak itself are highly responsive to windbreak permeability and tree planting management, with possible negative implications for local ecosystems.
Bulk density reduced (BDR) is an important parameter for evaluating the degree of soil compaction as well as for calculating the stock of chemical elements per unit area. Various designs of soil sample rings are used to collect intact samples, differing in height to diameter ratio, the volume of which is usually 100 cm3. With the start of the new cycle of the National Forest Inventory in 2021, there has been a change in the design of soil sample rings. The aim of our experiment was to verify whether an inconsistency of the measured values had not occurred because of this. During our experiment, 191 pairs of samples were taken to compare the Kopecky rings (diameter to height ratio 1.86) and so-called narrow tall rings (0.63). Furthermore, 40 pairs of samples were taken to compare the Kopecky rings and so-called narrow low rings (2.15). The statistical investigation showed that the BDR from the samples collected in the Kopecky rings does not differ significantly from the BDR obtained from narrow low or narrow high rings. The effect of ring design stayed consistent within individual groups of soil horizons. The effect did not manifest even in texturally differentiated groups of soils.
The paper summarizes results of three periodic evaluations of growth characteristics of the European yew in the research plot established in 2006 at the locality Líska in the Lusatian Mountains. Biometric measurements (height, basal diameter, d.b.h.) and other assessments (sex, needle colour, and vitality) were performed with a 5-year period in 2008, 2013 and 2018. Additional research is focused on the possibility of increasing the quality of the yew trees through shaping cut. At the age of about 18–19 years, the losses in the site are minimal, the height of yews ranges on average from 2.5 to 3 m, the diameter at breast high of the yew trees ranges from 3 to 4 cm. Earlier, male individuals began to mature. Overall, 71% of yews have become sexually mature so far in a ratio of 1:1.3 in favour of males. Pruning demonstrably leads to an increased economic quality, while it seems that the season for its implementation is not so important.
European yew (Taxus baccata L.) is a key tree species in forest ecosystems, contributing to biodiversity and ecosystem stability. However, its populations have declined significantly due to historical overexploitation, habitat fragmentation, and increasing environmental pressures, particularly under ongoing climate change. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the ecological characteristics, distribution, and silvicultural management of yew, emphasising its role in close-to-nature forest management. It discusses the species’ resilience to drought, shade tolerance and potential for adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Conservation strategies including natural and artificial regeneration, site-specific silvicultural interventions and the need for wildlife management to mitigate herbivore damage are also reviewed. The economic and pharmacological importance of yew, particularly as a source of taxanes for anticancer treatment, is also highlighted. The review also examines the sensitivity of the species to biotic and abiotic stressors and predicts its future distribution under climate change scenarios. The results highlight the need for targeted conservation measures, assisted migration, and adaptive forest management to sustain yew populations. Future research should integrate genetic diversity studies, climate modelling, and field-based silvicultural experiments to increase the species’ viability and ecological functions in European forest ecosystems.
The aim of the experiment was to compare the efficacy of the synthetic pyrethroids lambda-cyhalothrin, alpha-cypermethrin and tau-fluvalinate on the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.), as well as to observe the response based on the sex of the spruce bark beetle. The beetles were captured using barrier pheromone traps (Ridex s. r. o.). For laboratory evaluation of sensitivity, the methodology for testing resistance of the pollen beetle Brassicogethes aeneus (Fabricius, 1775) to insecticides was used according to the recommendations of the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee. The sex of each individual was determined by dissection. After 24 hours of exposure to lambda-cyhalothrin, 0% of both males and females survived, with alpha-cypermethrin, 0% of males and 0.16% of females survived, and with tau-fluvalinate, 2.8% of males and 3.87% of females survived. Statistical analysis of the data (using the Kruskal-Wallis test) indicated that tau-fluvalinate is less effective than lambda-cyhalothrin and alpha-cypermethrin, and that the sensitivity of the spruce bark beetle does not depend on its sex. More females (on average 72%) than males (on average 28%) were attracted to the pheromone traps used.
Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) used to be an important species in the region of what is the Czech Republic today. Its return to the forest ecosystem is more than desirable, mainly because it can be utilised in the transition of forest management to close-to-nature management in establishing multistorey, uneven-aged or mixed forests. A total of 15 unestablished stands arising on clear-cut areas in the Beskydy Mts. (caused by storms and the subsequent gradation of bark beetle) in the period 2015–2018 were selected, some of which were established in large clear-cut areas without being influenced by standing mature stands, and others in small clear-cut areas that were influenced by standing mature stands. In 2019, heights, height increments and lengths of the longest branches of all fir were measured and their vitality estimated. Growth variability and health status of the fir trees indicate that it is more appropriate to plant fir on small clear-cut gaps located inside stands. The protective effect of a mature stand contributes to faster growth of trees and better health status. Moreover, plagiotropism (due to excessive shading), which had been a major concern, was not confirmed.
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the most important economic trees with deteriorating health conditions observed in recent years. The work aimed to compare and evaluate the regulation of gene activities involved in defense mechanisms under biotic and abiotic stress conditions in a group of healthy individuals of Scots pine and individuals damaged by the pine beetle (Phaenops cyanea). Determination of the relative gene expression levels of twelve selected genes was carried out by qPCR analysis in samples of Scots pine needles collected at two localities, Stará Boleslav and Podbrahy. At both monitored locations we noted the same trends in the regulation of the relative gene expression profile for seven genes (CHS, CH5B, PR_P2, PO12, PAAL, SUCSYN3 and USP A), including a significant increase in the relative gene expression level of the phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (PAAL) involved in the biosynthesis of flavonoids, phenylpropanoids and lignin in plants, in the group of damaged individuals compared to the control group at the locality Stará Boleslav. For both groups of samples (healthy and damaged individuals) we noticed considerable variability in the measured data related to many variable factors of the external environment and the genotype of each individual, even when comparing both habitats.
The effect of the first thinning in fir thickets 3–5 years after the intervention was evaluated at eleven sites. Two sub-plots were established at each site: one control and one thinned. One thousand promising fir trees per hectare in each plot were marked. These trees were then released from 1–2 competitors. The average annual increment of the mean stem diameter, slenderness ratio and crown ratio were evaluated on a set of target trees (1,000 silver-fir trees per hectare). The first thinning resulted in an acceleration of the diameter growth of the released target trees at most sites. Higher average diameter growth on the thinned treatment was recorded at ten of the eleven sites. On the thinned treatment, the mean slenderness ratio of the target firs was slightly more favourable at 82 compared to the control 87 (difference = -5.3; DF = 1,8; SE = 1.40; p = 0.005), and their mean crown ratio was also higher at 0.73 compared to the control at 0.68 (difference = 0.05; DF= 1,8; SE = 0.015; p = 0.02).