Auf dem Weg zum Gebirgsplenterwald: Kurzzeiteffekte von Durchforstungen auf die Struktur subalpiner Fichtenwälder | On the way to a mountain selection forest:Short-term effects of thinning on the structure of subalpine spruce forests (reviewed paper)

Abstract

Stand structures and stand stability in unmanaged Norway spruce forests in the Swiss mountains may decline and their protective function against natural hazards will thus be put at risk. They are being subjected to thinning operations to improve stability and, in the long-term, to transform them into mountain selection forests. On pairs of research plots – thinned and not thinned – we will closely follow the stand development. Preliminary results indicate that the best variables to describe the effectiveness of the applied treatment to the stand structures are the h/d ratio,the spatial distribution and the stand density index.