Harvest of timber in forest districts of the Bialowieza Forest in 2008-2015

The paper presents a multifaceted structure of timber harvest in 2008−2015 in the Białowieża, Browsk and Hajnówka forest districts located in the Białowieża Forest. The object of the research, including the Białowieża National Park being a remnant of the primeval forests, is considered one of the most valuable forest areas of natural origin in Europe. The studies were made on the basis of the data from the reports created by the State Forests Information System and forest management plans, as well as the nature conservation programs of the surveyed forest districts. In the analysed period, a total of 665,032.5 m3 of merchantable timber was harvested in the analysed area. The highest volume of merchantable timber was harvested in the Browsk Forest District – 305,934 m3 (46%), then in the Hajnówka Forest District – 219,300 m3 (33%), with the lowest volume harvested in the Białowieża Forest District 139,788 m3 (21%). Among the individual assortment groups, the medium−sized timber was the most common and its harvested volume amounted to 413,579 m3, while the harvested volume of large−sized timber amounted to 251,454 m3. The lowest harvested volume concerned the small−sized timber and amounted to 21,652 m3. In the analysed period, softwood had the largest share in timber harvest and amounted to 443,469 m3. Hardwood was obtained in the volume of 243,215 m3. According to the cutting category, the timber harvest structure was as follows: the highest volume was harvested in pre− commercial thinning 382,495 m3 (54%), that from incidental felling amounted to 251,003 m3 (38%), while the lowest volume of harvested timber was from final cutting – 53,186 m3 (8%). Forest districts located in the Białowieża Forest encounter many difficulties affecting timber harvest. The main reason for this lies in the numerous restrictions imposed on the management of areas covered by various forms of nature protection, including the exclusion of some habitats, or stands of 100 years of age and older from management, which significantly affects the yield. The lack of a determined rotation age for stands in the Białowieża Forest also has a significant impact on timber harvest