DIGITALNA ARHIVA ŠUMARSKOG LISTA
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| ŠUMARSKI LIST 13/2005 str. 27 <-- 27 --> PDF |
PRESENTATION AT THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM Šumarski list - SUPLEMENT (2005), 17-30 SILVICULTURAL TREATMENTS AIMED AT IMPROVING THE ANTI-EROSION AND WATER-PROTECTIVE ROLE OF FORESTS Slavko MATIĆ*, Igor AMC**, Milan ORŠANIĆ** Summary: The two principal groups of silvicultural treatments are tending and regeneration. The goal of forest tending is to regulate and sustain an optimally structured forest stand in natural and undisturbed site conditions. These conditions must be maintained in all stages of a stand´s development. Tending affects both the stand structure and the site. A well-tended forest ecosystem is capable of optimal fulfilment of its commercial and non-commercial functions (ecological and social). The anti-erosion and water-protective functions are among the most important ecological functions that a well- tended forest ecosystem provides. The vital task of regenerating a forest is to preserve the forest soil from adverse impacts which may cause degradation processes. The forest soil is protected with a permanent cover of the stand´ crown canopy. This is why forests should be regenerated with the shelterwood system or the selection system. Regeneration over small areas should be recommended. Since its beginning, the Croatian forestry has advocated a natural approach to forests. This approach involves natural forest regeneration with the shelterwood method and the maintenance of the optimal structure of the forest stand with tending. This has resulted in exceptionally natural forests capable of fulfilling their commercial and non-commercial functions. Their naturalness is one of the prime reasons for which the Croatian forestry has earned recognition for ecological production of mercantile timber from all its forests. Even more importantly, Croatia is one of the richest European countries in potable water. Forests grown and tended according to the principles of the Zagreb School of Silviculture are one of the main reasons for such a favourable condition. Negative changes occurring in the proximity of forests frequently affect their ability of fulfilling commercial and non-commercial forest functions. Focus should, therefore, be placed on adapting forest tending and regeneration practices to changed environmental conditions. Key words: silviculture, non-commercial forest functions, anti-erosion forest role, water-protective forest role INTRODUCTION Silviculture is the science and art of treating and ecosystem stability, handling a tree stand in such a manner that it can fulfilmanagement objectives. Management objectives in Croatia include the achievement of: _ maintenance and improvement of non-commercial forest functions, sustainable management, use of forests and forestland in the manner and to * Academician Slavko Matić, Academy of Forestry Sciences, Trg Mažuranića 11, HR -i 0000 Zagreb ** Igor Anić, Milan Oršanić, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Department of Silviculture, pp 422, HR - 10002 Zagreb the extent which will maintain their biological diversity, productivity, capacity of regeneration, vitality and potential, |