Search

The aim of the research was to evaluate effects of different rootstocks and management practices to counteracting replant disease in an apple orchard. The experiment was conducted in the Experimental Orchard of the National Institute of Horticultural Research in Dąbrowice, Poland, in 2014-2020. Apple trees of the cultivar 'Ligolina' were planted in autumn of 2013 at spacing of 3.8 × 1.4 m in the rows of an apple orchard that had been grubbed up in spring. The following experimental setups were used: (i) two types of rootstocks of different growth vigour (M.9, P14); (ii) replacement of soil in rows of trees with virgin soil; (iii) fertigation with ammonium phosphate; (iv) control (cultivation in the exhausted soil). Replantation significantly limited the growth of apple trees by reducing the crosssectional area of the tree trunk, and the number and length of annual shoots. Fruit yields of apple trees grown on the replantation site were significantly lower than those of the trees grown in virgin soil. The use of ammonium phosphate fertigation had a positive effect on the growth and yield on the replantation site, especially when it was combined with the use of a stronger-growing rootstock (P14). The most effective environmentally friendly method of eliminating the apple replant disease is the replacement of the exhausted soil with virgin soil, i.e. soil that has not been used for growing fruit trees before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the importance of flora in the perception of the attractiveness as a tourism destination of Ojców National Park was conducted in the second half of July 2021 with a direct diagnostic survey method using a questionnaire. A total of 205 people were surveyed, of whom the respondents were primarily people of Polish nationality, middle-aged, and with higher education. The majority of respondents declared that their motive for coming to the studied area was leisure, and the main advantages of the ONP are inanimate and animate nature (including flora). The diversity of reasons for coming and perceived values increased with the degree of education and was significantly higher among tourists in the middle age group, which may be associated with a greater awareness of the attractions and the possibility of using various forms of recreation offered by the park. Among plants, most tourists paid attention to trees, and among the organs of plants, mainly to the stems of perennials and tree trunks, which can be interpreted by the predominance of forests in the landscape. The importance of flora in the ranking of ONP attractions increased in older age groups, and the appreciation of its importance by tourists from Poland may result from knowledge about the plant species occurring here and the role of the National Park in their protection. Among the most important threats to nature at the ONP, respondents indicated littering, as well as going off the trails and destroying and picking plants. Thanks to the research conducted, the importance of flora in the perception of tourists visiting Ojców National Park has been highlighted. Its importance against the background of other tourist attractions in the area was illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the impact of the presence of foreign bodies on the quality and value of oak timber as raw material. During the study, 109 oak bolts and logs with a total volume of 142.52 m³ were measured and classified. The material for the study came from the Suchowice Forest District, within the Henryków Forestry Inspectorate (in the south-western part of Poland), and it was sampled from a tree stand located on the edge of the forest, where the largest concentration of rifle and artillery fire had occurred during World War II. As a result, the tree trunks contain significant amounts of shrapnel and projectiles. The length and diameter of each bolt and log were measured, and double classification was conducted: the first (I) classification took into account the presence of foreign bodies, whereas in the second (II) classification the presence of foreign bodies was disregarded. As a result of the conducted analyses, it was found that due to the presence of foreign bodies, all of the examined oak raw material was categorised as the worst quality class (D) timber. However, it was noted that during the second classification, where the presence of foreign bodies was not taken into account, a significant part of the raw material was upgraded to better quality classes, and only about 16% of wood remained in the worst, D class. Subsequently, it was calculated that the difference in the total value of the oak timber raw material classified by two methods amounted to approx. 204 thousand PLN (ca. € 43,514) - which was about 35% higher than the value calculated by the first method of classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bark stripping by red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) is one of the most acute instances of damage wrought by these animals in a forest. Because of its location, bark stripping causes damage to the thickest and most valuable part of the tree trunk, which lowers the quality of the wood due to technical flaws. The research was conducted in 25 sampling sites of pine stands aged 35 years in a mixed, fresh forest habitat in south-western Poland. The study was aimed at assessing the influence of bark damage by deer on biometric parameters of pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.). The assessment involved the diameter at breast height, height, basal area and volume of the tree stands. The results revealed a strong deer-specific pressure on the analysed pine stands. The share of bark stripped trees ranged from 65% to 96%. The number of bark damage instances (NBDI) on a given tree was found to significantly affect its diameter at breast height. The strip-damaged trees had breast height diameters lower by 23% on average, and their mean height was lower by 8.7% as compared with the trees without damage. The mean reduction in basal area increments ( G 1.3 ) of the trees was identified at 39%. In a similar way to the diameter at breast height and the basal area, the losses in tree stand volume growth caused by deer stripping were significant and oscillated at 41%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) inhabiting trees in forests are not managed by humans or treated for pathogens; therefore, many researchers and beekeepers believe that viral, bacterial, and parasitic diseases may lead to their decline. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of L. passim and Nosema spp. in feral colonies by real-time PCR. This study was performed on twenty-six samples of honey bees inhabiting tree trunks in north-eastern Poland. One sample consisted of sixty worker bee abdomens collected from hollow trees. Honey bees were sampled only from naturally colonized sites. Amplicons of the three evaluated pathogens were detected in twenty of the twenty-six tested samples. A significant correlation was observed between infection with three pathogens (N. apis, N. ceranae, L. passim) (r = 0.84) compared to infection with only two pathogens (N. apis and N. ceranae) (r = 0.49). N. ceranae was the predominant pathogen, but infections with various severity caused by L. passim were also noted in fourteen of the twenty-six tested samples. In view of the general scarcity of epidemiological data concerning coinfections with Nosema spp. and L. passim in honey bees in tree trunks in other countries, further research is needed to confirm the effect of concurrent pathogenic infections on the decline of bee colonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ecological Engineering / Inżynieria Ekologiczna is the property of Polish Society of Ecological Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Forest management practices fundamentally impact the structure of a forest (relatively young stage of forest development, dominating stands with only one or two species of trees, planting coniferous tree species on habitats of deciduous forests, introducing alien tree species, very limited volume of dead wood). Bryophytes are especially sensitive to silvicultural practices. The aim of this study was to examine the importance of particular substrates for maintaining bryophyte species diversity in the Murckowski Forest (Silesian Upland S Poland), which is at present a managed forest. In 100 sampling plots, the structure of the forest and the species composition, frequency and abundance of bryophytes on different types of substrates (ground, tree base, tree trunk and dead wood) were analysed. In total, 54 bryophyte species were recorded (five liverworts and 49 mosses). The largest number of species was observed on dead wood (42), while the lowest number was of typical epiphytes growing on tree trunks bark more than 30 cm above the ground (18). This study confirms that dead wood is a key habitat and determines not only the number of epixylic species, but also the whole richness of bryophyte species. Maximal diameter of trees and presence of old tree stands were significant factors for species that were colonizing the tree bases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data documenting the occurrence of epiphytic bryophytes in the urban forests of the Wroclaw city were collected and reported for the first time. Research was carried out in 2015-2016, in forest areas situated within the city administrative boundaries, to find whether some epiphytic species reported from the Wroclaw environs in the 19th century and presently considered to be primeval forest relicts occur in urban forests. The survey was carried out using the established network of 50 study plots randomly scattered within the urban forested areas. In total 42 species (4 liverworts and 38 mosses) were recorded on 467 trees; three of them are primeval forest relicts. In this paper, the host-tree preferences, distribution in the individual forests, relative frequency, abundance and exposure to compass directions of the studied taxa are analysed. Of the species described, only 17 are obligatory epiphytes, while 22 of them are character forest species. However, 82% of the latter were noted on a small number of tree trunks. Two moss taxa, Hypnum cupressiforme and Platygyrium repens, were most frequently found (on 76 and 50% of the trees, respectively). Among the species recorded in the studied area, there are five that have been showing some expansive tendencies in Europe in recent decades. The potential ability of these species to spread in urban areas is discussed in relation to their general ecological requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• O. brumata and A. leucophaearia are the most abundant geometrids in oak stands. • Both phenological groups of geometrids can cause severe oak defoliation. • Oak defoliation depends on the density of geometrid females captured in collar traps. • New thresholds of female density are proposed for predicting the threat to oak stands. • Sample size (the number of traps/stand) was determined using Taylor's Power Law. Oak forests are of great ecological and socioeconomic values but are declining in many regions due to abiotic and biotic factors, including crown damage by defoliating insects. In Europe, several geometrid species reach outbreak densities and are then able to cause severe oak defoliation. Prior to control measures, the threat posed by defoliators must be reliably assessed to limit the treated area and consequently to minimize the negative environmental impacts and the costs of the insecticide application. Few methods have been developed so far to assess the threat to oak forests from geometrids, most of which have proven to be unreliable and/or labour-consuming. In this paper, we present a new method for predicting crown damage from geometrid defoliators based on the density of their flightless females assessed with the use of collar traps installed on tree trunks. The studies were conducted in 2014–2020 in 68 oak stands in Poland. Using beta regression, we estimated the relationship between the density of geometrid females (from genera: Operophtera , Erannis , Agriopis , Alsophila and Apocheima) in collar traps and subsequent defoliation caused by their progeny (i.e. larvae). We then proposed threshold numbers of female density to predict different levels of defoliation and calculated the numbers of collar traps that would be required to detect the threshold density of geometrid females indicating expected defoliation >30%. The new method allows forest managers to monitor populations of different species and phenological groups of geometrids and predict the threat (expected defoliation) to oak forests from these insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rural parks serve as refugia for common cavity nesters in a deforested landscape. • Large tree cover area supports the occurrence and richness of common cavity nesters. • Parks should contain large-size trees. • Small share of scattered built-up areas does not negatively affect the occurrence and richness of cavity nesters. • Significant intensity of parks' management negatively influences cavity nester richness in parks. Parks as artificial non-forest tree stands that serve many useful functions for people can also act as refuges for specialised species that include, for example, cavity nesters. In 2017, (from March to end of May), using the example of 54 parks in the agricultural landscape of SE Poland, the importance of 9 basic habitat parameters was assessed (tree trunk diameter, health status of the trees, proportion of dead trees, management intensity, distance to the nearest forest, distance to a forest of >10 ha in area, park area, built-up area, area of tree cover surrounding the park), for the occurrence and richness of five cavity nesters. Rural parks serve refugia for cavity nesters in the agricultural landscape, such as Great Spotted and Syrian woodpeckers and secondary cavity nesters: European Starling, Eurasian Nuthatch and Eurasian Wryneck. The park size, as well as the presence of trees with large dimensions, were positively related to the occurrence and richness of most studied species. A small share of scattered built-up areas did not negatively affect the occurrence and richness of cavity nesters, and even positively affected the occurrence of Syrian woodpecker and Eurasian Wryneck. Only significant management intensity of the parks negatively influenced the Eurasian Wryneck occurrence, and richness of secondary cavity nesters and the whole cavity nester assemblage. The protection of parks with the characteristics listed above should also be taken into account when developing park management strategies, as such areas are important for species with greater ecological flexibility, and may support biodiversity in the agricultural landscape. The negative human impact on cavity nesters may be mitigated by the designation of 'wild zones' in the parks, which will save ecological valuable trees and at the same time ensure the safety of visitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tests whether the temperature of tree cavities determines their selection by bats in Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF), eastern Poland. Using a data logger, I simultaneously measured the temperature in cavities selected by bats as roosts and the temperature in available but unselected cavities. The maternity roosts chosen by noctule bats, Nyctalus noctula (Schreber, 1774), and Leisler’s bats, N. leisleri (Kuhl, 1817), during late pregnancy and lactation were warmer than unoccupied cavities, but temperature ranges in the two types of cavity did not differ. A logistic regression model showed that the mean cavity temperature during the night (2200–0400) and the minimum cavity temperature over a 24 h period were crucial for roost selection. This suggests that female noctule and Leisler’s bats selected roosts that promoted juvenile growth and used tree cavities that could save them energy while they were active because the cavity temperatures were close to the lower critical temperature of their thermoneutral zone. I also suggest that selection of warmer cavities minimized the bats' energy expenditure prior to emergence from the roost and that passive rewarming inside the cavity was an important factor in minimizing energetic costs of roosting by bats in BPF. Mean and maximum temperatures recorded near tree trunks increased with the height at which the temperature was measured (ground level, 10, 20, and 30 m), suggesting that bats can gain thermal benefits from insolation of the trunk by selecting highly placed cavities, as was observed in BPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study of wood excavated from archaeological site in Poland (2100–1650 BC). The large amount of collected samples created a unique opportunity for research because the subfossil wood was in very good preservation state. This made it possible to carry out dendrotypological analysis. This is the first such study conducted for Early Bronze Age timber originating from Poland. The main goal of the study was to determine whether the presence of strong and abrupt reductions and releases of growth, observed within tree-ring sequences, is due to natural stand dynamics, results from the influence of extreme environmental factors or whether they should be linked to specific silvicultural practices already known in ancient times. Another purpose of the study was to determine the type of forest management techniques applied to the trees growing in Bruszczewo site. The research was conducted using the dendrochronological method. In addition to the measurements of growth-ring width, the development of earlywood and latewood zones, the proportion of sapwood and the presence of specific features of tree trunks were analysed. A detailed study allowed identifying the samples originating from coppiced and shredded trees. A characteristic feature of the trees subjected to these silvicultural practices is the presence of strong and abrupt reductions and releases of growth. Moreover, coppiced trees were specified by the large proportion of sapwood in the cross-section of the stem, reduced number of sapwood rings, small and numerous earlywood vessels, diminished earlywood vessels area. In turn, shredded trees distinguished themselves by a strong reduction in the earlywood width in the years following the shredding event. The research of archaeological wood from the ancient settlement proves that during the Early Bronze Age various forest management techniques were used in this site. These treatments were aimed at improving the quality and quantity of the raw material harvested from forest areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]