Evaluation of the natural and artificial regeneration of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L. stands in the Forest District Nowa Dęba

Abstract The main purpose of this article was to highlight the potential for enhancing positive silvicultural effects and their dependency on the management method in Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L. stands. We therefore assessed the impact of natural and artificial regeneration on vitality and health, compaction, surface coverage and seedlings height. Another important goal was to assess the severity of damage in the selected forest sites. A comparative analysis was carried out based on results from field work conducted in the autumn 2010 in the Forest District Nowa Dęba. As part of this field work, also the breeding quality of the analyzed pine renewals was assessed. The obtained results indicate that natural regeneration of Scots pine under the conditions of a fresh coniferous forest as well as a fresh mixed coniferous forest is the most reasonable management practice. In wet mixed coniferous forests however, the naturally regenerating Scots pine seedlings are of lower silvicultural quality and growth parameter values compared to those in artificially regenerated stands. In fresh mixed broadleaved forests, naturally regenerated Scot pine trees showed slightly lower silvicultural quality and vitality than artificially regenerated trees. Our results indicate furthermore that there are indeed conditions under which the restoration of Scots pine in the Nowa Dęba Forest District using natural regeneration is preferable. We also found that the employed method of renewing has a significant impact on pine growth parameters in the moist mixed coniferous forest habitat. Naturally renewing pines are characterized by a lower overall viability, but at the same time natural regeneration provides a larger number of individuals with the best viability (1st vitality class), which can be a valuable selection basis for trees used in breeding.