The effect of stand characteristics on the occurrence of ice breakage and uprooted trees by ice in Eastern Serbia

The subject of this paper is the analysis of the influence of stand characteristics on the damage caused by the cold wave in the winter of 2014/2015 in the area of Eastern Serbia. The research is focused on the areas where, due to the high degree of damage, clear felling was carried out after the ice breakage, and therefore it was not possible to carry out assessment of damage at the level of individual trees. For that reason, the degree of damage was observed indirectly, through the scope of area covered by clear felling as a remedial measure in cases of permanently impaired stand stability. The research was carried out within forest management units in Moravian Forest Area, where the stands with the most severe consequences of the ice breakage were recorded. Key stand forms that affect their sensitivity to extreme weather events were identified through analysis of stand characteristics. The results indicate that mixed and structurally uneven-aged stands are more resistant to ice breakage compared to pure even-aged untended stands, and above all artificially established stands of conifers. The research results can contribute to better understanding of action mechanisms of ice breakage, as well as the improvement of forest management measures in order to increase forest resistance to increasingly frequent extreme climatic events.