Management of Floodplain Forests in Southern Moravia : Proceedings of the International Conference helt in Zidlochovice, Czech Republic, May 13 to 16, 2000
In connection with the impaired condition of floodplain forests at the beginning of the 90s, foresters of the Zidlochovice Forest Enterprise began to deal with the idea of revitalization of floodplain forests endangered by extensive water management measures carried out on the lower reaches of south-Moravian rivers. Co-operation of many research institutions with local forest and water managers appeared to be a necessary preconditon for planning such measures which helped to reduce or at least partly repair implications of illconsidered hydrological measures and made possible to preserve unique floodplain forest ecosystems in Central Europe, in the landscape intensively affected by man since the prehistorical time. In April 1995, a workshop "Management and protection of floodplain forest in southern Moravia - peculiarities of forest management" was held in Zidlochovic. Representatives of professional foest public, water managers and ecologists could already evaluate results of some partial changes in connection with the implementation of revitalization measures consisting in the restoration of functionality of forest channel network making possible better water supply for all floodplain communities. Possibly of using aritfical flooding of floodplain forests was verified again. Priorities were determined of the gradual return to the more favourable water regime for plant communities of the Morava and Dyje floodplain and further possibilities of necessary scientific research were propsed. After five years - in May 2000 the experts met again in Zidlochovice within an international symposium "Management of floodplain forests in southern Moravia" in order to present further results of research into monitoring the present condition with the aim to revise partial results and to propose new possibilities of study for further periods. Participants of the symposium agreed on the necessity to stress the importance of floodplain forests with respect to their high production potential and irreplaceable landscape and social function. The symposium brought new findings concerning the development of changes in the forest environment of floodplain forests and their response to various forms of management. Adaptation of floodplain communities to these changes requires the active approach of foresters in the form of revitatlization projects. On the example of management of Forests of the CR State Company (Lesy CR s.p.), Forest Enterprise Zidlochovice, it is possible to state positive results of these projects. In conclusions of the conference, a necessity was stressed further to indensify application of new approaches in floodplain forest management on principles of close-to-nature forestry in co-operation with foresters, nature conservations, scientific institutions and the public. For the effective control of management measures it is recommended to intensify monitoring programmes. The paper presented is the result of co-operation between the Institute of Forest Ecology, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry, Brno and foresters of Forests of the CR State Enterprise. The paper was published with the financial support of the CR Ministry of Agriculture and VS 96077 Grant Project "Stress identification and its response in forest ecosystems", which is part of the project of institutional research of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, MUAF, Brno entitled "Sustainable management in forests and the landscape" (reg. No. MSM 4341 00005). Contributions of authors were arranged in the collection of papers according to particular problem fields in the same order as they were presented during the conference. The paper consists of three main parts. In the first part, introductory lectures are given of particular representatives of departmental ministries and Forests of the Czech Republic, State Enterprise (LCR, s.p.) engaged in the problems, in the second part contributions of the conference participants and in the third part, the list of panel communications is given. The paper collection is completed by the lsit of participants. Particular papers were reviewed, however, they were not subject ot language revision. Authors of particular papers answer for language correctness.
