Vegetation cover 47 years after wind storm and clearcut in western Latvia
2015
Purina, L., Forest Competence Centre, Riga (Latvia);Latvian State Forest Research Inst. Silava, Salaspils (Latvia) | Straupe, I., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia) | Liepa, L., Latvia Univ. of Agriculture, Jelgava (Latvia) | Katrevics, J., Forest Competence Centre, Riga (Latvia) | Jansons, A., Forest Competence Centre, Riga (Latvia)
Wind is an important natural disturbance factor in a forest ecosystem. It creates gaps in a forest canopy, providing microenvironmental conditions, suitable for forest regeneration and affects the species composition of ground vegetation. Most of the studies analysing consequences of wind-storm have addressed short-term changes or influence the stand structure, but the aim of our study is to analyse ground-vegetation long time after windstorm in hemiboral forests. Data on ground vegetation cover have been collected in areas affected by the storm of 1967, where due to salvage-logging 200-400 m wide clearcuts were created. Sample plots (1×1 m) were placed in different distance from the edge of former clearcuts and projective cover of ground vegetation assessed using Braun-Blanquet method in Myrtillosa mel. forest type on 5 sites in north-western part of Latvia. Results reveal that in all sites species belonging to boreal, boreal-temperate and temperate biome were present, but their proportions varied between sites. In total 82 species of vascular plants were found, most frequent among them Maianthemum bifolium (L.) F.W.Schmidt (species characteristic to Norway spruce forests), Vaccinium myrtillus L. and Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. (associated with Scots pine forests) as well as Molinia caerulea (L.) Moench and Deschampsia caespitosa (L.) P.Beauv. (both characteristic to wet soils). Results suggest, that even 47 years after the storm microenvironmental conditions in the sites are not stable. Ellenberg’s indicator values reveal, that most of the sites are in semi-shade, cool and moist conditions, placed on acidic, nitrogen-poor (in few sites – also nitrogen rich) soils.
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