Zdenek Vacek

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague | CULS · Department of Silviculture

On the one hand, the European beech ( Fagus sylvatic a L.) is the tree of the future due to ongoing climate changes, on the other hand, there are questions about its expansion and economic use as a replacement for the declining Norway spruce ( Picea abies [L.] Karst.). This literature review examines 140 studies summarizing basic research on beech...

The silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is among the most valuable conifers in Europe for ecological and economic reasons. Throughout the course of history, primarily in the 20th century, its share in stands has been declining due to ill-suited management practices, especially clear-cut management, air pollution (SO 2 and NO X emissions), and wildlife-in...

Climate change effects on tree reproduction are poorly understood, even though the resilience of populations relies on sufficient regeneration to balance increasing rates of mortality. Forest‐forming tree species often mast, i.e. reproduce through synchronised year‐to‐year variation in seed production, which improves pollination and reduces seed pr...

The low survival rate of leverets may significantly contribute to steep population declines and slow recovery of European hares (Lepus europaeus). However, the leveret survival rate in farmlands with different landscape structures is poorly understood, and the existing evidence comes mainly from Western Europe. In this study, we explored the surviv...

The silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is among the most valuable conifers in Europe for ecological and economic reasons. In the course of history, primarily in the 20th century, its share in stands has been declining due to ill-suited management practices, especially clear-cut management, air pollution, and wildlife-induced damage. Based on recent know...

European forests are facing ongoing climate change, and certain tree species are being critically impacted. The Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is one of the most sensitive species to climate fluctuations, a fact manifesting itself through massive dieback resulting in a lack of high-quality timber and timber market destabilization. Therefor...

From an economic perspective, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of Europe’s most important tree species. It is characterized by its wide ecological adaptability across its natural range. This research aimed to evaluate the forest structure, productivity and especially radial growth of heterogenous pine stands in 16 research plots in the Czech...

Forest ecosystems in Sri Lanka are under pressure from intensive human activity and climate change. Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to autochthonous species and ecosystems. In Bundala National Park of Sri Lanka, there are efforts to control and limit the spreading of unwanted invasive Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. and Opuntia dillen...

Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) is a thermophilic oak species that is gaining importance in the context of ongoing climate change because of its better resistance to climatic extremes and drier conditions. Therefore, this article focuses on Turkey oak’s role and growth properties in the coppice forests of Southern Europe (Italy, Bulgaria) compared t...

Key message The Picea abies dendromass production can be replaced by introduced spruce species where the Picea omorika showed the highest biomass production and resistance to climate change in central European conditions. Abstract Climate change has a major impact on the availability of sustainable wood production. From the perspective of dendroma...

In the twenty-first century, it is crucial to see climate change not only as a risk that can cause large-scale forest disturbances but also as an opportunity for innovative approaches to forest management and silviculture of new resistant tree species, like the prospective black pine (Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold). This literature review compiles findi...

As a result of climate change, Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) is dying across Europe. One of the primary reasons for this is the cultivation of unsuitable spruce provenances and ecotypes. This study deals with the growth and genetics of the ecotypes of Norway spruce, the most important tree species of the Czech Republic. At the study site,...

Serbian spruce ( Picea omorika [Pančić] Purk.) is a Balkan endemic coniferous species, the expansion of which is restricted by limited knowledge. This literature review paper compiles findings from 176 scientific papers and presents a summary of research results that pertain to the Serbian spruce potential in general, with a specific focus on Europ...

Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) is a significant conifer tree species in Europe that holds significant economic and ecological value. However, it remains one of the most sensitive to climate change. This study describes the climate–growth relationship, focusing on dendroecology in hilly spruce forests (319–425 m a.s.l.) located in Bohemia,...

We are currently witnessing significant global changes in climate conditions. We cannot change the natural conditions, but with regard to sustainable landscape management, we can increase our knowledge of tree species and adapt forest management to them. Surprisingly, one of the most affected tree species in Central Europe today is Scots pine ( Pin...

Tick-borne diseases are a significant health problem worldwide and have become even more pervasive in Europe due to the increasing abundance of tick species, especially the common tick (Ixodes ricinus L.). Moreover, in recent years, there have been changes in tick geographical distribution, the occurrence of new tick species, and an expansion in ab...

The ongoing global climate change is challenging all sectors, forestry notwithstanding. On the one hand, forest ecosystems are exposed to and threatened by climate change, but on the other hand, forests can influence the course of climate change by regulating the water regime, air quality, carbon sequestration, and even reduce climate extremes. The...

From an economic perspective, Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of Europe's most important tree species. It is characterized by its wide ecological adaptability across its natural range. This research aimed to evaluate the forest structure, productivity and especially radial growth of heterogenous pine stands in the 16 research plots in the...

Data on wildlife abundance is an important indicator both for the species concerned and the stability of entire ecosystems as well as for sustainable game management. Therefore, the abundance of ungulate game was verified in a foothill region of Kazakhstan. The methods of thermal imagery and faecal pellet group (FPG) census on transects were compar...

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) was distributed from its natural range in western North America to different destinations, primarily to Europe (Scandinavia, British Islands), South America (Chile, Argentina), and New Zealand. It is used for its superior timber production and resistance to environmental conditions. This literature...

Introduced tree species have become increasingly important in the context of the ongoing climate change. This paper focuses on the dendrochronology of the most widespread introduced tree species in the British Isles-Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong.] Carr.)-in comparable soil conditions in England, Czechia, and Slovakia. The research aims to ev...

The aim of the contribution was to obtain knowledge about the condition of beech stands according to different methods of management in the context of natural regeneration and damage caused by ungulates. The study of structure and natural regeneration of beech stands took place on 6 permanent research plots (PRP) of size 25 × 25 m in the Krušné hor...

Presently, the forests of one of the most economically important tree species in Europe—Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.]—have been disrupted and are in rapid decline due to a combination of several natural factors: extreme drought, heatwaves, and secondary damage caused by bark beetle outbreaks. The vulnerability of these forests has increas...

Keymessage Populus nigra and Picea abies achieved the largest standing volume at 50 years of age in basalt mountainous sites in Central Europe, but they also present the highest risk in the case of rising temperature and drought extremes. The most climatically resistant tree species were Larix decidua and Alnus glutinosa, which had a lower producti...

The European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) is one of the most economically important European coniferous species. With the expected decline of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), the importance of this tree species may increase in the afforestation of new areas and subsequent CO2 fixation in the context of climate change mitigation if its wood p...

Borovice černá (J.F. Arnold), jako rychle rostoucí jehličnan s velkým ekonomickým a ekologickým Pinus nigra významem, je rozšířena po celé Evropě, Malé Asii a severu Afriky na široké škále biotopů. V Evropě pokrývá plochu přes 9,5 milionu ha, což je 4,4 % z celkové plochy lesů. Jedná se o druh, který patří k nejčastěji vysazovaným dřevinám mimo svů...

Bark stripping damage reduces timber quality due to fungal infection and structural defects. Weakened stems may break and induce the death of trees, which strongly affects forest stability. Some tree species, such as Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.), are highly susceptible to bark stripping, but Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) has been stud...

Black alder (Alnus glutinosa [L.] Gaertn.) is an important component of riparian and wetland ecosystems in Europe. However, data on the growth of this significant broadleaved tree species is very limited. Presently, black alder currently suffers from the pathogen Phytophthora and is particularly threatened by climate change. The objective of this s...

Mixed lowland forests reserved for natural succession are sparse in the Czech Republic. However, their development provides essential insights into the natural processes of these forests and recommendations for forest management in a changing climate. The research describes the dynamics, productivity, structure , diversity, dead wood, and radial gr...

The increasing trend of afforestation is described in almost all European countries, however, the knowledge of the growth parameters of particular tree species on abandoned agricultural land is still incomplete. Therefore, the characteristics of young forest stands which are afforested with 5 native tree species (Norway spruce, Eu-ropean beech, Eng...

Implementation of various restrictions to eradicate viral diseases has globally affected human activity and subsequently nature. But how can the altered routines of human activity (restrictions, lockdowns) affect wildlife behaviour? This study compared the differences between human and wildlife occurrences in the study forest area with acreage of 5...

In the time of ongoing climate change and the increasing area of post-mining landscape, the successful afforestation of reclamation sites by suitable adaptive tree species is gaining in importance. One of possible ways may be the use of introduced tree species, which is, however, a controversial topic in relation to risks for forest management and...

The castor bean tick (Ixodex ricinus) is the most important vector of pathogens in the Czech Republic. Among the most serious diseases that this blood-feeding arthropods spreads are Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, rickettsiosis, tularemia and others. And more than 28% of ticks are carriers of some of the above-menti...

The paper deals with the production, growth and survival of sprouts in coppices in the Podyjí National Park with the aim of evaluating the success of the conversion of high forest to coppice forest and coppice-with-standards forest 7–8 years after the conversion. Four main tree species were observed – European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), sessil...

The transformation of monocultures into richly structured mixed forests is one of the main adaptation strategies for forest management in the conditions of climate change. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the species composition and diversity of natural regeneration in 8 permanent research plots (PRP) in the Jizerské hory Mts. during the...

The objective of the paper was to obtain knowledge about the effect of stand edge on natural regeneration in beech stands with an emphasis on damage by ungulates. The study of natural regeneration was conducted on 8 permanent research areas (PRP) with a size of 3 × 30 m in the Krušné hory Mts. in the Czech Republic and Germany. European beech (Fagu...

Interest for use of introduced species is increasing in the last years, in correlation with large-scale forest decline, to this moment stands of Norway spruce and Scots pine. Introduced species including exotic pines can help to solve this problem to some extent. Rare but representative stands of these species were analyzed in the Arboretum FLD Kos...

This study deals with statistical data of timber harvest in the Czech Republic and compares them with climatic data and solar cycles. The total, salvage, deciduous and coniferous logging are used. The timber harvest of mentioned types is compared with annual temperatures, annual precipitation and the sunspot number. The sunspot number characterizes...

Scree forests with large numbers of protected plants and wildlife are seriously threatened by climate change due to more frequent drought episodes, which cause challenges for very stony, shallow soils. The effect of environmental factors on the radial growth of five tree species—European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) K...

Fertilization and liming began to be used in forestry at the beginning of the 20th century in order to increase growth, for improvement of health status or higher resistance to biotic and abiotic factors. The review summarizes results of 48 studies of forest fertilization, nutrition and liming published in scientific journals by authors of Departme...

Tree damage by game browsing is one of the biggest threats to forest ecosystems at the time of climate change and large-scale forest disturbances. The aim of the paper was to determine the effect of browsing by ungulates on the diversity, abundance and species composition of natural regeneration in forest stands dominated by European beech (Fagus s...

Mixed forests play a key role in terms of stability, production potential and adaptation to climate change. Norway spruce [PA, Picea abies (L.) Karst] and European beech (FS, Fagus sylvatica L.) are among the most important tree species in Europe. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of the species composition of these two tree gener...

The impact of solar cycles on forest stands, while important in the development of the forest environment during climate change, has not yet been sufficiently researched. This work evaluates the radial growth of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in the mountain areas of southern Italy and central Europe (Czech Republic, Poland) in correlation to...

As a result of human population growth and human need for resources, the landscape has been increasingly transformed and devastated by mining activities. Subsequent reactivations are thus extremely important in the process of restoring the disturbed biosphere. The objective of this study was to determine differences between original forest sites an...

We evaluated the spatiotemporal patterns of predation risk on black grouse nests using artificial nests that were monitored by camera traps in mountain areas with a small extant (Ore Mts.) and already extinct (Jeseníky Mts.) black grouse population. The overall predation rate of artificial nests was 56% and we found significant differences in survi...

Many studies have examined the relationships between the effects of the sunspot area and growth of trees; however, none of them considered European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). We investigated the relationships between the sunspot area, climate factors (temperature and precipitation) and radial growth of beech in the Krkonoše Mts. in the Czech Repub...

Bark stripping damage and the resultant stem rot to Norway spruce (Picea abies [L]. Karst), one of the most important tree species, poses a serious problem for forest management in Europe. Our research objective was to determine the effect of bark stripping, the subsequent rot decay and the impact of climatic factors in young (42–49 years) spruce s...

Forest ecosystems in Europe undergo cyclic fluctuations with alternating periods of forest prosperity and disturbances. Forest disturbances are caused by large-scale calamities (climate-induced and unforeseen events) resulting in an increased volume of salvage logging. In recent decades, climate change (warming, long-term droughts, more frequent st...

Species composition along with spatial and age structure are the main attributes of forest ecosystems. The diversity of scree forests and herb-rich beech forests was analyzed in the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area, the Czech Republic. The paper objective was to evaluate forest structure and dynamics of species diversity of tree layer, natural r...

In Central Europe, the dynamics of mountain forests has been for a long time most influenced by wind storms. The aim of this study was to obtain knowledge about the structure and dynamics of secondary succession in extreme climatic mountain conditions on disturbed areas after the Kyrill Hurricane in the eastern part of the Krkonoše Mts, Czech Repub...

Ojców birch (Betula oycoviensis Besser) is a rare and critically endangered taxon of the genus Betula. Its distribution is limited to few countries in Europe. In the Czech Republic, this taxon, characterized by typical shrubby habitus, has been found in fewer than 70 tree individuals, prevailingly in the studied locality Volyně, West Bohemia. This...

In Europe, warming, droughts and the rise of extreme climate events have an increasing significant negative effect on forest stands. Therefore, it is necessary to create appropriate adaptation strategies of silviculture to mitigate the impacts of global climate change on forest ecosystems in Central Europe. The objectives of this paper were to eval...

Afforested farmland is a phenomenon of Central Europe. In this study, we evaluate the radial growth of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] and European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) in forest stands established on abandoned agricultural land compared to forest stands on standard forest soils. As the quality of wood from such sites is often challe...

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the most important tree species in Eurasia. During the past centuries, it has been extensively introduced into artificial monocultures, but is currently experiencing a number of problems related to climate change and extreme droughts. There is a large-scale disintegration of its stands and, in addition to...

Biological invasions threaten global biodiversity and forest ecosystems; therefore, it is necessary to use appropriate strategies for combating the spread of invasive species. Natural regeneration of eastern beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) is considerably limited by an aggressive invasive shrub, pontic rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum L.), in th...

The Jizerské hory Mts. (the Czech Republic) are part of the Black Triangle region strongly affected by a decline and dieback of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) stands since the 1970s. In the studied peaty spruce stands in the summit parts of the Jizerské hory Mts., the health status, radial growth and foliar nutrient content in relation to...

Norway spruce ( Picea abies [L.] Karst.) and silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.) are main tree species of Central Europe that are currently highly vulnerable in times of global climate change. The research deals with the effect of climate and air pollution on radial growth of silver fir and Norway spruce in mixed age-varied (56 – 146 years) forests in t...

African swine fever (ASF) is a fatal, infectious disease affecting wild boars and domestic pigs, mostly resulting in their deaths. Previous studies showed that carcasses of infected wild boars pose a serious threat for ASF virus transmission and leaving of dead bodies in the environment enables persistence of the disease in the given affected area....

The paper deals with the dynamics of structure, diversity and growth of natural pine stands without direct human impact during the ten-year period in Nature Reserve (NR) Kostelecké bory, Czech Republic. The objective was to determine the main characteristics of the spontaneous development of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest stands in relatio...

The study evaluates the impact of climatic factors on the success of hunting in the Doupov Hills in the Czech Republic. The aim was to assess the impact of climatic factors on the success of individual and group hunting of various game species and their sex and age between 2005–2012. Overall, 27 thousand animals of the following game species were a...

The growth dynamics of beech forests are becoming a key chapter in forest research during the time of global climate change, while the new findings from other disciplines can benefit forest-scientific activity. One of the neglected chapters are the sunspot activity and their influence on the Earth's surface and forest stands, which can be examined...

The growth, structure and production of mixed beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests were analysed in the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area, Czech Republic. The objective of the paper was to evaluate stand structure, timber production and dynamics of forests with historically different silvicultural practices in relation to climate conditions, manage...

This article deals with individual tree diameter increment of mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees after release cut. The study is focused mainly on individual seed trees. Measurement was done altogether in 22 forest stands at three different forest administrations (State Forest of the Czech Republic: LS Choceň, LS Nasavrky a LS Plasy). By...

Ecological stability, higher resistance and sustainability of production are the main advantages of mixed forest stands enhanced by current climate change. However, game damage can significantly affect the dynamics of natural regeneration, including species composition. The present study describes the structure, dynamics and effect of ungulate on t...

The effect of different light conditions (100%, 50–60% and 20–30% of full light) and different irrigation regimes (480, 360, 240 and 120 mm during vegetation season) on the emergence, growth, survival and root characteristics of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings of 5 Czech provenances was investigated. Full-light conditions resulted in the...

The aim of this study was to evaluate (1) effects of bark stripping and climatic factors on radial growth of Picea abies /L./ Karst., (2) production and structural differences between stands established on the forestland and abandoned farmland (afforested farmland- henceforth, farmland), and (3) interaction among the losses caused by ungulate damag...

The objective of this research was to determine the efficiency of different types of protective barriers and how they protect against fraying damage in extensive fruit tree orchards. Orchards in open agricultural land are the target of fraying damage caused by roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.). We assessed the effectiveness of four protective barri...

In time of climate change, close-to-nature silviculture is growing in importance as a tool for future forest management. The paper study the tree layer and natural regeneration of monospecific Norway spruce ( Picea abies [L.] Karst.), trough mixed spruce-beech to dominant European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in Jizerské hory Mts., the Czech...

Individual tree growth and yield models precisely describe tree growth irrespective of stand complexity and are capable of simulating various silvicultural alternatives in the stands with diverse structure, species composition, and management history. We developed both age dependent and age independent diameter increment models using long-term rese...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of bark stripping caused by sika deer (Cervus nippon [Temminck]) on the production and structure of young Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) forest stands (41–43 years). Production parameters, structure, diversity, and the dynamics of radial growth in selected forest stands in relation to climatic c...

Long-term temporal development of beech stands in relation to climatic conditions is well documented by dendro-chronological analyses. The study aims to identify and describe growth factors affecting natural European beech stands (Fagus sylvatica L.) on permanent research plots in the eastern Krkonoše Mountains, the Czech Republic. The paper focus...

The negative effect of air pollution on mountain spruce stands culminated in the 70s – 90s of the 20th century, when an extensive dieback and disturbance of stands occurred in the Krkonoše Mts., the Czech Republic. Dendrochronological analysis was used on ten permanent research plots established in 1976–1980 to document the dynamics of radial incre...

We studied the effects of magnesium (Mg) NPK fertilizer applied in 2000 to maturing Norway spruce (Picea abies /L./ Karst.) stands with yellowing symptoms and situated on poor acidified soils in the Šumava mountains (the Czech Republic). Long-term defoliation, nutrient content in the foliage and diameter increment were evaluated in three specific v...

The objective of this study was to develop the models that predict both timber and branch volumes of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.), the most abundant tree species in Europe, and determine the relationships among timber and branch volumes and various site and stand characteristics. The data used in this study come from 76 sample plots in the...

Key message The proposed height–diameter model applicable to many tree species in the multi-layered and mixed stands across Czech Republic shows a high accuracy in the height prediction. This model can be useful for estimating forest yield and biomass, and simulation of the vertical stand structures. Abstract We developed a generalized nonlinear m...

Height-to-diameter at breast height (DBH) ratio (HDR) is an important tree and stand stability measure. Several factors such as stand dynamics, natural and anthropogenic disturbances, and silvicultural tending significantly affect HDR, and, therefore, in-depth investigation of HDR is essential for better understanding of ecological processes in a f...

In the agricultural landscape, thousands of animals are killed yearly as a result of agricultural machinery innovation, mostly because of a higher harvesting speed and wider cutting bars. Harvesting machines besides predation by red fox ( Vulpes vulpes L.) on roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus L.) in the intensively managed cultural landscape are the m...

Windbreak is one of the key factors for making the agriculture systems successful through reduced wind erosion, improved microclimate, increased biodiversity, and production potentiality of timber and agricultural crops. Even though windbreak occupies only a small part of agricultural landscape, its advantages on the ecological and economical persp...

Tree crowns are commonly measured to understand tree growth and stand dynamics. Crown ratio (CR—crown depth-to-total height ratio) is significantly affected by a number of tree- and stand-level characteristics and other factors as well. Generalized mixed-effects CR models were developed using a large dataset (measurements from 14,669 trees of Norwa...

The Kyrill Orcane in January 2007 greatly damaged large areas of spruce stands in the Krkonoše Mountains. The aim of this study was therefore to obtain knowledge about the structure and development of secondary succession in extreme climatic mountain conditions on disturbed areas in the eastern Krkonoše Mts. On comparable research plots, the densit...

Dynamics of natural regeneration were studied in mountain Norway spruce (Picea abies /L./ Karst.) forests in areas affected by spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) outbreak in the Šumava National Park in period 2007-2015. Detailed measurements of regeneration density, vertical and horizontal structure were carried out using Field-Map technology...

The studied Antonín dump was established after the surface coal mining in Sokolov region. After its reclamation, it was largely afforested by native tree species, but on some parts also introduced tree species were used. The objective of this study was to evaluate structure, production and diversity of coniferous forest stands at the age of 45 year...

Presented contribution documents production and health status of Norway spruce stands established in 1950s on former agricultural land in Orlické hory Protected Landscape Area. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of the damage of the stands caused red deer in the context of ongoing climate change. The results showed significant difference...