The influence of slope exposure and altitude on the height of trees in the stands of the Carpathian beech forest Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum in the lower montane zone in the Bieszczady National Park

Abstract

The influence of slope exposure and altitude on the height of trees in the stands of the Carpathian beech forest Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum in the lower montane zone in the Bieszczady National Park. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of slope exposure and elevation above sea level on the average height of trees in the stands of the Carpathian beech forest Dentario Glandulosae-Fagetum in the lower montane zone of the Bieszczady National Park. The research material consisted of measurements made as part of a grid of permanent research plots of the Bieszczady National Park with a size of 4 ares, arranged in a grid of squares with a spacing of 500 x 500 m. Using a two-factor analysis of variance, the average height of beech trees in two height zones (600-800 and 800-1000 m above sea level) and at two slope exposures (north and south) were compared. The influence of the interaction between the two factors was also studied. The height of beech stands was mainly determined by the altitude and the interaction between the exposure of the slope and the altitude. It was not found that the exposure of the slope significantly differentiated the average heights of beech trees in the lower montane zone in the Bieszczady National Park.