Conservation management actions in oak forests in Natura 2000 SAC sites of Bükk National Park Directorate,

Hungary

FRANK, Tamás – BÖLÖNI, János – ÁDÁM, Réka – CSIKOS, Valéria -HARMOS, Krisztián – VERÉB, Krisztina – JÓZSEF, Júlia – ASZALÓS, Réka

Pannonian-Balcanic Quercus cerris-Quercus petraea woodlands2,7% the proportion in the forestsof Hungary

Sessile oak-hornbeam woodlands3,9% the proportion in the forestsof Hungary

Bölöni, J. (2011): Á-NÉR 2011 habitats, maps and descriptions, …

Bölöni, J. (2011): Á-NÉR 2011 habitats, maps and descriptions, …

The area of Sessile oak-hornbeamwoodlands has decreased by 53% to 230 years. (Biró M., Bölöni J., Molnár Zs. (2016): Long-term area

changes of 20 habitat types in Hungary (1783-2013).

Submitted paper.)

The area of Pannonian-Balcanic Quercuscerris-Quercus petraea woodlands hasdecreased by 66% to 230 years. (Biró M., Bölöni J., Molnár Zs. (2016): Long-term area

changes of 20 habitat types in Hungary (1783-2013).

Submitted paper.)

The distribution area in Hungary of …

The homogenising effect of the clearcut forest management system

Homogeneous forest structureImpoverished stand compositionOnly a few habitats

Diverse stand structure and compositionVariety of habitats

2. 1.

The conservation management actions were initiatedin two oak forest stands in the operational area of the Bükk National Park Directorate (BNPD)

SK

A

HR

SLO

SRB

RO

UA

yellow line: operational area of the BNPD

1st site, core area of Bükk National Park, treatment started in 2009

2nd site, Kelet-Cserhát Landscape Protection Area, treatment started in 2014

1st site, Bükk National Park Pannonian-Balcanic Quercus cerris-Quercus petraea woodlands and Sessile oak-hornbeam woodlands 113.7 ha; 87-110 year-old stands; treatment started in 2009

Gaps created in 2009 in the 1st site

The goals of the treatments:- Enhancement of the structural stand diversity- Reduction of the area of Robinia pseudoacatia groups- Fostering the development of the few Q. petrea trees against the numerous

Q.cerris

1st site treatments in 2011:- Extension of the existing gaps - Creation of new gaps

…in 2014 and 2015:-Marking the locations of new nature conservation management actions (see details in the case of the 2nd site)

…and organisation of trainings.

2nd site, Kelet-Cserhát Landscape Protection Area Pannonian-Balcanic Quercus cerris-Quercus petraea woodlands and Sessile oak-hornbeam woodlands, 34.3 ha; 70-80 year-old stands; treatment started in 2014

2nd site, Kelet-Cserhát Landscape Protected Area

In 2014, complex and detailed set of goals were defined at the stand and the tree-individual level.

I. Maintenance of tree and shrub individuals:

1. Support of the oversized, old tree individuals in the canopy layer

2. Maintenance of the individuals of admixing species in the canopy layer

3. Maintenance of the individuals of admixing species in the understorey

4. Support of shrub species or group of shrub individuals

II. Creation of gaps

5. Creation of gaps

6. Extension of existing spontaneous gaps

The I. and II. set of goalswere implementedby the creation of deadwoodand felled timber.

III. Creation of deadwood:

7. Creation of standing deadwood with stem ringing

8. Creation of lying deadwood with the felling of tree individuals

9. Creation of high (1 m – 1.6m) stumps

10. Making barkless patches on the stem with bark-peeling

Standing deadwood

Lying deadwood

High stump and felled timber

High stump and lying deadwood(with the felling direction)

Making barkless patcheson the stem

Map of treatments in 2015/2016 winter and 2016 spring

In 2015/2016 winter and 2016 spring - pictures of management actions

Examples of the treatments and habitat creation

Felling of oak trees – creation of felled timber and high stumps

Lying deadwood with a snag and a normal stump

Examples of the treatments and habitat creation

Maintenance of two Cerasus avium individuals in the understorey with creating a stump

Maintenance a Sorbus torminalis in the understorey with making lying deadwood and felled timber

Maintenance of a group of shrubs and young trees in the shrub layer with generating lying deadwood.

Examples of the treatments and habitat creation

Creation of standing deadwood

Wounded tree trunkwith bark microhabitats

Creation of standing deadwood withbark microhabitats

Making a woundedtree trunk withbark microhabitats

Proportion of artificially created deadwood and timber

2015/2016

Felled timber49%

Standing deadwood25%

Lying deadwood24%

Stump2%

All artificially created deadwood

51%

(13,7 m3/ha)

Monitoring scheme:

• A systematic monitoring survey was elaborated to monitor the effect of the conservation management actions

• The network survey is accomplished in a 40 x 40 m net

• At all net points the survey of forest stand, shrub layer and dead wood arecarried out in a defined-sized circular plot

• Baseline monitoring (before the treatments) was carried out in 2015

• Control monitoring (after the treatments) is currently taking place

Monitoring plots (218)

Monitoring scheme:

Counting the larger individuals of saplings and shrubs

Counting the smaller individuals of saplings and shrubs

Measurement of the DBH, social position, and health status of trees (DBH ≥ 5 cm) in a circle of 8.91 m radius (250 m2). Measurement of the height of 1-2 typical tree individuals with Vertex

Living trees Dead trees Shrub layerCanopy

density

stem/ha m2/ha m3/hastanding stem/ha

standing m2/ha

standing m3/ha

lying m3/ha

total, m3/ha

largestem/

ha

smallstem/ha

%

705 27.80 324 31.6 0.52 4.3 6.0 10.3 2040 3242 88,2

Data on living trees, deadwood, the shrub layer and canopy density according to 104 monitoring points of the baseline survey (before the treatments)

Future plans

1st site:-Marking the locations of nature conservation management actions in a similar manner to the 2nd site

-Building new wild forest fences around the gaps as well as around smaller parts (1-3 ha) of forest stands

- Creating new gaps; extension of already existing gaps

- Continuous control monitoring of the treated forest area

2nd site:- The treatments will be countinued - Baseline survey will be continued on those

sampling sites which have not been treated and assessed so far

- Building wild forest fences around the gaps as well as around smaller parts (1-3 ha) of forest stands

- Planning to design a multiple-species (birds, bats, saproxylic beetles, reptiles and polypores) monitoring programme

Thank you for your attention!