Natural disturbances in central-european mountain spruce forests. A basis for forest restoration

Risk of natural disturbances is a frequently discussed topic in the context of mountain spruce forests and global climate change. Recently, large-scale natural disturbances such as bark beetle outbreaks and windfalls have appeared relatively more frequently in Central-European mountain spruce (Picea abies L.) forests, which led to the enforcement of salvage logging even in some protected areas. Our study was performed as part of a long-term observation of recovery of spruce forests aff ected by bark beetle and windfall with and without interventions in two Central-European national parks, Šumava National Park in the Czech Republic and Tatra National Park in Slovakia. Th e results proved the ability of spruce forests to recover unassisted even from stand-replacing natural disturbances. Th eir biological legacies, which include standing and lying dead wood, are important for natural regeneration of tree species, and provide critical habitats for particular forest species. In comparison to natural disturbances, the artifi cial disturbances resulting from salvage logging destroyed a substantial part of the natural regeneration, which led to the need for artifi cial reforestation. Th us, the non-intervention strategy appears to be the best option for restoration of disturbed forests in the zone of mountain spruce forests. Based on our results, we propose that natural disturbances be considered as a basis for forest regeneration and restoration of their natural structure