Forest site degradation - temporary deviation from the natural site potential

1998

S. 5-18

2 Abb., 6 Tab., 33 lit. Ang.

Bandaufführung

102957

Intensively cultivated areas, such as Central European forests, have been heavily changed by human activities. It is quite possible that at least some of the forest decline symptoms of today are late consequences of inappropriate land use practices in the past. Centuries of forest pasture, litter raking, fire cultivation, deforestation of whole landscape and reafforestation with monocultures of inadequate species led to an export of nutrient elements to a degree sometimes exceeding the remaining stock in the soil. Amelioration experiments, as well as spontaneous developments of soils and plant communities on the other hand, suggest the reversibility of even heavy degradations. Improving nitrogen status and increasing growth rates indicate a gradual regeneration since the historical impacts ceased. A concept is descussed that distinguishes between the natural site potential, based on permanent site factors and the current site condition based on variable site attributes. Every ecosystem is characterized by a particular resilience, and a range of possible, reversible deviations from the site potential. Within this range it is evologically legitimate, to improve the site quality by means of amelioration measures. Such measures should, however, not create artificial sites of higher productivity, nor destroy biotopes that are worth being protected.