Environmental and economic significance of big, old-growth trees

Big, old-growth European silver fir, beech and oak on high- and medium-fertility soils in the Carpathians generate a huge increase in trunk volume, total phytomass and annual carbon accumulation (25–50 kg). Accordingly, each giant emits a lot of oxygen (65–130 kg/yr) and water vapour (40–80t/yr), and its transpiration consumes 0.03–0.06GWh of energy which can cool a hectare of a 30 m × 1 ha air layer by 0.027–0.053°C. Stands of spruce and stone pine in the high mountain zone grow more slowly; their current increase in trunk volume and material and energy impact on the surrounding air is 3–5 times less but, still, it increases over time. By increasing the number of big old-growth trees in forest stands, stand productivity and the material and energy impact on the environment can be increased by 20–40%.