Paolo Cantiani¹, Isabella De Meo², Fabrizio Ferretti³, and Alessandro Paletto²

¹Agricultural Research Council - Research Centre for Forest Ecologyand Silviculture (CRA-SEL), Via S. Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy. E-mail: paolo.cantiani@entecra.it
²Agricultural Research Council - Forest Monitoring and Planning ResearchUnit (CRA-MPF), P.za Nicolini 6, 38124 Villazzano, Trento, Italy. E-mail: isabella.demeo@entecra.it, alessandro.paletto@entecra.it
³Agricultural Research Council - Apennines silviculture and managementResearch Unit (CRA-SFA), Via Bellini 8, 86170 Isernia, Italy. E-mail: fabrizio.ferretti@entecra.it

A preliminary evaluation of forest functions is fundamental in the forest landscape management planning. The evaluation addresses long-term management issues, with special attention to social and environmental functions, normally not meticulously considered when working on a single forest property level. This paper presents a method to evaluate forest multifunctionality, in order to define management guidelines and support forest planning. A case study based in the Basilicata region, Southern Italy, was conducted. A total of 92 study areas comprising the main forest types - i) Turkey Oak, Hungarian Oak, and Sessile Oak Forests, ii) Downy Oak Forests, and iii) Mediterranean Evergreen Oak Forests, were considered. According to each forest type, an Index of Importance of Function (I) and three different indicators of multifunctionality were calculated.
Key words: forest functions, land classification, Forest Landscape Management Plan (FLMP), Basilicata region (Italy).

Tolga Ozturk

Istanbul University, Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Construction and Transportation, 34473 Bahcekoy, Sariyer, Istanbul, Turkey. E-mail: tozturk@istanbul.edu.tr

In the Black Sea region located in north of Turkey, timber extraction with skidding vehicle is the most common system and also the one that tends to cause erosion problems. The combination of the timber type and topography limit harvesting mechanization to perform transport operations. Rubber tires tractors are used on the more gentle slopes and on skid roads on steeper terrain. In this study, productivity of New Holland farm tractor in beech stands was tested in the area of Gurgentepe Local Forest Enterprise within the Ordu Forest Administration in Turkey. Timber was skidded uphill by New Holland farm tractor in felling area. Time study of a cycle was carried out by using collected data and by statistical analysis. In this study, skidding distance ranges between 140 and 320 m. Hourly productivity are 11.350 m³.hour^-1 for skidding distance of 140 m, 7.700 m³.hour^-1 for skidding distance of 320 m. The cost of cubic meter of skidding are 4.5 $ and 8.6 $ as different distance. The average fuel consumption are 6.0 l.hour^-1.
Key words: New Holland tractor, skidding, productivity, cost, time study.

Marian Slodicak¹, Jiri Novak¹, and Vit Sramek²

¹Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Na Olive 550, Opocno,CZ 517 73, Czech Republic. E-mail: slodicak@vulhmop.cz
²Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Jiloviste-Strnady 136, Praha 5 - Zbraslav, Czech Republic, CZ 156 04, Czech Republic. E-mail: novak@vulhmop.cz, sramek@vulhm.cz

The total forest area in the Czech part of the Slezske Beskydy Mts. is 196,894 ha. Forest decline appeared on ca 32 thousand ha of forest land. Climatic studies confirmed the changes of precipitation amounts and its pattern as well as the change of temperature and sunshine in the period 1961-2006 in comparison with long-term average values in 1901-1950 and with calculated standard of 1961-1990. It is apparent that cultivation of Norway spruce in this region in previous extent will be impossible in future. The study brings more detailed information about this ecological catastrophe and the main principles of the new forestry concept in the Slezske Beskydy Mts. which consists in the differentiated change of species composition, adequate thinning regime, more natural continuous cover forestry supporting water management in the forest stands and fertility of forest soils.
Key words: forest decline, Norway spruce, climate change, forest soils, silviculture.

Reinhard Mosandl^*, Jorg Summa, and Bernd Stimm

Technische Universitat Munchen, Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan, Institute of Silviculture, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany. ^*E-mail: mosandl@forst.wzw.tum.de

Coppice-with-standards (CWS) is an ancient forest system in Europe which served for centuries to provide timber and a number of other goods, like firewood, poles and fodder to the society while maintaining a continuous forest cover. Since the dawn of modern forestry the area of coppice and CWS forest in Germany has constantly decreased. With the recent rise of energy prices and of wood as a renewable source interest in this system aroused again. Also it was found that CWS forests because of their diversity in structure are a precious habitat for rare and endangered animal and plant species in comparison with high forests. We present two management options in one of the biggest remaining forests of this type in Germany, in Lower Frankonia, Bavaria. The first management option is directed to increase the value of the remaining trees (standards) in the coppice stands in order to cope with timber trees from high forests. The second management option includes an agro-silvopastoral component: in a pilot project we use coppice-with-standards forests as a pasture for Swabian-Hall swines, which are famous for their superior meat quality. The integrative character of this project may support the conservation of the Swabian-Hall swine, which remains an endangered race on the red list of the Society for the Conservation of Old and Endangered Livestock Breeds.
Key words: forest reared Swabian-Hall swine, oaks, silvopastoral system, uneven coppice.

Elias Milios and Diamantis Bountis

Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, Pantazidou 193, 682 00 Orestiada, Greece. E-mail: emilios@fmenr.duth.gr

The aim of the present study was to analyze the shade conditions of Pinus nigra Arn. stands in the island of Thasos, which is situated in the northern part of Aegean Sea. Thirty six plots of various dimensions were established in P. nigra stands, varying in age and structure. For every plot, the diameter at breast height (DBH) for all trees was recorded and the dominant height in each story was estimated. Moreover in each plot, increment cores were taken, at a height of 1.3 m, in the main diameter classes. Three to fifteen hemispherical photographs were taken in each plot resulting in a total of 240 photographs. The amount of sky visible (V.s.=Visible sky) as a proportion of the whole hemisphere when viewed from a point was used as a measure of shade. For each photograph the V.s. value was calculated. Visible sky is related to the potential of the canopy to transmit incident light and allows comparisons between sites in different locations. The V.s. values in P. nigra stands ranged from 0.036 to 0.281. The young stands in stem exclusion stage exhibited the lowest mean V.s. value, while the greatest range of V.s. values (0.042 to 0.281) was observed in stands having old growth structure. The P. nigra stands in Thasos exhibit a wide range of shade - light environments as a result of their different and heterogeneous structures in combination with the morphological characteristics and ecology of the species.
Key words: light, stand structure, stand age, old growth, stem exclusion, biodiversity.