Scholarly record

THE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE WIND DAMAGE IN FOREST STANDS OF TERVETE NATURE PARK IN LATVIA

Sandija Hartmane, Aigars Indriksons

Abstract

Wind damage causes tree uprooting and breakage, so significantly altering the forest stand structure and stability. The Tervete Nature Park is one of the most important recreational forests in Latvia. However, storms over the last three years have changed the structure of the forest stands in park. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the amount of wind damage and the factors influencing it in forest stands. Fieldwork included the inventory of uprooted and broken trees along a transect line, recording dendrometric indices such as tree species, diameter, height and type of damage. A 4 m wide and 5.23 km long transect belt across the park area was used for precise calculation of damaged wood volume per area, while a 60 m wide belt was used to characterize the impact of different factors on damage of individual trees. The impact of the storm in the study area has been significant. According to forest management data, damage has affected more than 80% of forest stands, and the total amount of felled wood in the forest area of the Tervete Nature Park (969 ha) reaches 26 775 m3 or 28 m3 ha-1, which approximately corresponds to those measured on transect belt. It characterizes a high intensity of damage and a significant impact on the structure of the forest stands. The results of the study confirm that the most significant factors influencing the damage are distance from the forest edge, stand age, tree diameter and height, as well the soil organic horizon thickness.

Publication details

Back to publication list