Virgin Forests and Forest Reserves in Central and East European Ountries
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE INVITED LECTURERS' REPORTS PRESENTED AT THE COST E4 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND WORKING GROUPS MEETING IN LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA Forest Reserves Research Network VIRGIN FORESTS AND FOREST RESERVES IN CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Edited by Jurij Diaci ISBN 961-6020-21-8 University of Ljubljana Biotechnical Faculty Forest Reserves Research European Commission Department of Forestry and Network Renewable Forest Resources Slovenia PROCEEDINGS OF THE INVITED LECTURERS' REPORTS PRESENTED AT THE COST E4 MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND WORKING GROUPS MEETING IN LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA VIRGIN FORESTS AND FOREST RESERVES IN CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HISTORY, PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT LJUBLJANA, 25 - 28 APRIL 1998 Ljubljana 1999 Published by Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources - Biotechnical Faculty The publication of the proceedings was subsidised by The Ministry of Science and Technology of Slovenia CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 630*228.8(4-014) 581.526(253:4-014) VIRGIN forests and forest reserves in Central and East European countries : history, present status and future development : proceedings of the invited lecturers’ reports presented at the COST E4 management committee and working groups meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Ljubljana, 25 - 28 April 1998 / [edited by Jurij Diaci ; English translation of Slovene papers Irena Watton]. - Ljubljana : Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources - Biotechnical Faculty, 1999 ISBN 961-6020-21-8 1. Diaci, Jurij 97607936 Editor Jurij Diaci Technical Editor and page design Cover page design Uroš Kolar Jurij Diaci, Uroš Kolar English translation of Slovene papers Cover page photo Irena Watton Jurij Diaci Printed by Printed in February 1999 Tiskarna Pleško, Ljubljana 250 issues Po mnenju Ministrstva za znanost in tehnologijo z dne 13.01.1999 št. 415-01-10/99, sodi publikacija med proizvode iz 13. točke tar. št. 3 Tarife prometnega davka, za katere se plačuje 5% davek od prometa proizvodov. This material may not be copied or posted without explicit permission. Proceedings of the invited lecturers' reports VIRGIN FORESTS AND FOREST RESERVES IN CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES C ONTENTS Jurij Diaci v-vii Preface Jari Prviainen ix Introduction Konrad Pintarić 1-15 Forestry and Forest Reserves in Bosnia and Herzegovina Slavko Matić 17-24 The Forests of Croatia - Country Report Libor Hort, Vladimír Tesař, 25-44 Forest Reserve Research Network - Tomáš Vrška The Czech Republic Country Report Roman Zielony 45-66 Natural Forests and Forests Protected by Law in Poland Gheorghe Florian Borlea 67-86 Forest Reserves and their Research in Romania Miha Adamič 87-93 The Brown Bear in Slovenia - Natural Heritage or a Nuisance? Andrej Bončina 95-110 Stand Dynamics of the Virgin Forest Rajhenavski Rog (Slovenia) During the Past Century Tomaž Hartman 111-120 Hundred Years of Virgin Forest Conservation in Slovenia Dušan Mlinšek 121-132 Forestry in Slovenia as a Proof of Nature’s Unpredictability, Bifurcation, etc. Jean-Francois Matter 133-143 Forest Reserve Research in Switzerland Jari Parviainen 145-171 Strict Forest Reserves in Europe - Efforts to Enhance Biodiversity and Strenghten Research Related to Natural Forests in Europe 162-171 Appendix 1: Summary of the COST E4 Country Reports COST Action E4: Forest Reserves Research Network v PREFACE Background information on the meeting Protection of virgin forests and establishing new forest reserves are preconditions for successful scientific research in natural science. They are also of importance for conservation of the natural heritage and promotion of other social functions of the forest. For forest management practice it is vitally important to gain insight into the structure and development of natural forests. Therefore, forest reserves are reference sites for assessing the efficiency of close-to-nature forest management. Since nature protection and close-to-nature forest management are slowly gaining recognition all over Europe, the awareness of the significance of forest reserves has also arisen. A number of countries started recently to develop or to widen the existing network of forest reserves and to study them regularly. The fast development of this field has also been promoted by international co-operation and a joint research approach, such as the COST Action E4 ‘Forest Reserves Research Network’1. Slovenia has actively participated in this project since its beginning in November 1996. The initiative to organise a meeting in Slovenia was accepted at the meeting of the COST Action E4 in Brussels in November 1997. The main reason for entrusting the task to Slovenia is its tradition of virgin forest research and the efficient transfer of results to forest management practice. The international professional public is well acquainted with the fact that the largest remains of temperate virgin forests in Europe are situated in Eastern and Central Europe, for instance, Bialowieza in Poland or Peručica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is less well known, however, that in these countries there is a rich tradition of protection and research of forest reserves. In Austria-Hungary, for example, some of the most important remains of virgin forests were protected as early as the last century (JOHANN 1990). In Bohemia ‘Žofinský virgin forest’ in the Novohradské Mts. was protected as early as 1838 on the owner’s initiative (the study by HORT et al. in the proceedings, pp. 25-44), while in Poland ‘Ziesbuch forest’ was protected in 1827 (ZIELONY ibid., pp. 45-66). In Slovenia the protection of virgin forests was introduced in 1892 when virgin forests were first mentioned in forest management plans of the Kočevje region (HARTMAN ibid., pp. 111- 120). After the Second World War foresters in particular undertook systematic investigation of virgin forests in Central and Eastern Europe. Professor Leibundgut and his associates (LEIBUNDGUT 1959) played a key role in studying the importance of virgin forests and forest reserves in Europe. He initiated the first basic research in virgin forests of Central and Eastern Europe. His research team developed a network of new forest reserves in Switzerland, where only two minor virgin forest remains (Scatle, Derborence) were 1 The COST Action E4 is presented in the Introduction by the Chairman of the Action. More detailed presentation with preliminary results of the Action are given in Parviainen’s paper on pages 145-171 of the proceedings. vi Preface preserved, and took on systematic research. The example was followed by Slovenia (MLINŠEK 1967, 1976) and other Central and East European countries (PINTARIČ 1978, PRÙŠA 1985, KORPEL 1995, PRPIČ and SELETKOVIČ 1996). Organisation of the meeting and preparation of the proceedings The third plenary session of the management committee and of the working groups of the COST meeting started with a two-days excursion to virgin forests of the Koèevje region, to mountain forests of Pokljuka (the Triglav National Park) and to the littoral part of Slovenia (Karst). Thirteen experts from Slovenia and 46 from other European countries participated. Prominent scientists from Central and East European countries with a rich tradition of protection and investigation of forest reserves, which do not formally co- operate in the COST Action E4, were also invited to take part in the meeting. In invited lecturers’ reports they presented the development of the concept of forest reserves and their current situation in individual countries. Their reports represent an important contribution to the Action and are published in the proceedings. An important part of the meeting was held in the field, therefore some of the more extensive contributions presented in the field are also included in the proceedings. The reports of the remaining Central and East European countries that participate in the Action (Slovenia, Slovakia, Russia and Hungary) are published in the joint proceedings of the Action (PARVIAINEN 1999). A short summary of the country reports by Mr Parviainen is presented in this proceedings on pages 162-171. In the present proceedings, the reports have been arranged alphabetically according to participating countries. They are published as they were presented at the meeting but in a smaller format and with some graph or chart changes to achieve better resolution. The contents of each individual report are the sole responsibility of the author. All involved in the organisation of the meeting in Slovenia wish that the present proceedings will contribute to a further insight into different approaches to the investigation of virgin forests in Europe and to a link between them, as well as to a broader discussion and further research in this field. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The meeting in Slovenia and the publication of the proceedings were made possible by: The Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources of the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, the COST Action E4 of the European Union, and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia within the framework of projects MS-42797 and J4-0513-0488-98. Objectives of the meeting were successfully achieved with the aid of the Forest Institute of Slovenia, the Slovenian Forest Service, and the Triglav National Park. Our particular thanks for assistance in the organisation of the meeting are due to: – Mr. Albin Babič of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia, COST Action E4: Forest Reserves Research Network vii – Professor Milan Hočevar, Director, Assistant Professor Hojka Kraigher, and Dr. Primož Simončič of the Forest Institute of Slovenia, – Professor Miha Adamič, Head, Professor Dušan Mlinšek, Professor Boštjan Anko, and Assistant Professor Andrej Bončina of the Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, – Mr. Tomaž Hartman, Mr. Mladen Prebevšek, and Mr. Miro Kapus of the Slovenian Forest Service, – Mr. Martin Šolar of the Triglav National Park, – Mr. Dušan Roženbergar and Ms. Lena Marion, the students of the Forestry Department. We owe special thanks to Mr. Uroš Kolar for his dedicated and unremitting help with the organisation of the meeting and preparation of the proceedings.