baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

Dobroč National Nature Reserve, Slovakia

The reserve was established as early as 1912 ¹ . The area was originally 50 ha and was later enlarged to 102 ha ¹ . The main tree species in the original part are Fagus sylvatica (European beech) and Abies alba (European silver fir). The newer part is dominated by Picea abies (Norway spruce). There are only a few further tree species, all being easy to identify. The original part is otherwise very close to its natural state ¹ , but A. alba seedlings are missing – a result of herbivore over-population in this region. Of the Central European montane forest tree species, A. alba is the most heavily browsed, followed by Acer pseudoplatanus (sycamore maple), while F. sylvatica and P. abies are only slightly damaged ² . The proportion of A. alba in the reserve has decreased during the last decades ¹ and will further decrease if the herbivore pressure remains high. The situation is much better in eastern Slovakia (see Stužica National Nature Reserve ). The newer part of the reserve is less natural. There is an overgrown old road through the reserve.

The forest is productive and all the tree species reach great heights. Especially for A. alba , the reserve seems to be an optimal site. My search for tall trees in 2015, using a Nikon Laser 550A S instrument, revealed following maximum heights: P. abies 58.1 m, A. alba 56.1 m (the tallest laser-measured in the world!), F. sylvatica 46.4 m and A. pseudoplatanus 39.1 m. There are several P. abies and A. alba trees at least 54 m tall. Of the deciduous trees, I measured only a few individuals, so still taller trees may well exist. An A. alba tree fallen a few decades ago had a diameter of 193 cm and a volume of 55 m ^{3 1} . A . alba reaches here the age of 450 years, P. abies approx. 350 and F. sylvatica 220 –250 years ¹ .

The reserve is located on a north-facing slope at elevations 720–1000 m. Annual precipitation is 890 – 960 mm and average annual temperature 4.5 – 5°C ³ . The soils are productive.

A hiking trail touches the northern boundary of the reserve.

References :

1 Korpel’, Š. (1995): Die Urwälder der Westkarpaten. Gustav Fischer Verlag.

2 Standovár, T. & Kenderes, K. (2003): A review on natural stand dynamics in Beechwoods of East Central Europe . Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 1 (1–2): 19–46.

3 Saniga, M. & Schütz, J.-P. (2001): Dynamik des Totholzes in zwei gemischten Urwäldern der Westkarpaten im pflanzengeographischen Bereich der Tannen-Buchen- und der Buchenwälder in verschiedenen Entwicklungsstadien . Schweiz. Z. Forstwes. 152 10: 407–416.