AREAS WITH OCCURRENCE OF CLOSE TO NATURE FORESTRY, MOSTLY OF MIXED FORESTS
AND NATURAL PROCESSES IN VIRGIN FORESTS
Areas with occurrence of close to nature forestry, mostly of mixed forests
and natural processes in primeval forests
Saturday 18 October 2003
Excursion to the “Badín Primeval Forest” composed with beech and fir tree species.
Badín Primeval Forest
Badín Primeval Forest National Nature Reserve
is situated on the south–east slope of Laurín in
the Kremnické Vrchy (Kremnica Hills),
approximately six kilometres south–west of
village of Badín in Banská Bystrica District.
This fragment of primeval (virgin) forest has
been protected since 1913, and it is thus one of
the oldest reserves in Slovakia. The total area of
the reserve is 30.03 ha and the buffer zone is
123.43 ha. Since the site is currently designated
as a National Nature Reserve and is a part of the
Poľana Landscape Protected Area, a system of
protection measures is defined for it in the
National Council of the Slovak Republic Act
No. 543/2002 Coll. on Nature and Landscape
Protection. With an altitudinal range of 700 to
850 metres above sea level and mean annual
temperature of 5.3 – 5.8 oC, the reserve is
classified into the cold mountainous climatic–
geographical type. The annual precipitation
ranges from 850 to 950 mm, with snow cover
occurring on 140 to 150 days a year. The
growing season lasts from 120 to 140 days.
The Kremnica Hills are a complex stratovolcano
composed mainly of andesite. Bedrock beneath
the reserve is formed of andesite conglomerates
overlain by lava flows of pyroxenic andesite
with breccias. This substrate gave rise to “brown
soils”, the Cambisols that dominate over
Andosols. Eutric Cambisols and Eutric
Andosols are most common soil units. These
soils are nutrient rich and slightly acidic, and
have high productivity potential.
Local forest types belong to the fourth and fifth
altitudinal forest zone. In these forest stands,
beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is dominated tree
species and silver fir (Abies alba MILL.) is also
abundant. Spruce (Picea abies L. (KARST.) is
missing from the natural tree species
EXCURSION GUIDE
composition. The proportion of silver fir is 24%,
beech 74% and other broadleaves 2% – taking
account the total number of trees exceeding 7
cm in diameter. As for the growing stock, fir
represents 10.4%, beech 85.2% and noble
hardwoods (sycamore, maple, ash, elm) 4.4% of
total. The average growing stock registered on
permanent experimental plots ranges between
640 and 970 m3.ha–1 with respect to the
developmental stage. The long–term average for
the whole primeval forest is 690–750 m3.ha–1.
The mean volume increment is 8.64 m3.ha–
1
.year–1 in the optimum stage.
According to
scientific
analyses,
the
´
developmental cycle of the reserve s forests lasts
230–250 years and is determined by the beech
cycle. Fir in reserve, gradually changes
generations during the second generation of
beech. The reserve´s forests have a distinctly
differentiated height and diameter structure,
which is most apparent in the closing phases of
the maturation developmental stage. Three basic
developmental phases are recognized in natural
forests: stage of growth, stage of optimum and
stage of destruction.
This primeval forest is characterised, as all
undamaged forests are, by the natural presence
of dead trees and their parts. Some dead
individuals remain standing for many years,
while others break or become uprooted while
still alive due to various causes. The total
volume of dead trees ranges from 205 to 290
m3.ha–1.
The
resulting
variability
contributes
considerably to the faunal species richness of the
forest.
Entomologists
have
identified
approximately 160 insect species in the reserve
that depend on dead wood. The avifauna of the
SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER 2003
AREAS WITH OCCURRENCE OF CLOSE TO NATURE FORESTRY, MOSTLY OF MIXED FORESTS
AND NATURAL PROCESSES IN VIRGIN FORESTS
reserve is also rich, with 42 nesting species at a
density of 65 to 75 pairs per 10 hectares.
The total area of the Badín primeval forest is,
however, smaller than the unit of sustained yield
and regeneration independence (40–50 ha) in the
forest association Abieto–Fagetum. Hence, the
average growing stock and the proportion of
individual tree species, taking both the total
number of trees and the standing volume into
account, are not quite stable in time.
The silver fir survives up to 400 years and beech
up to 210 – 230 years. The biggest living tree is
the silver fir with a diameter 148 cm at the
breast height. It is 49.5 m tall and its total
EXCURSION GUIDE
volume is 29 m3. The silver fir with 32 m3 of
stem volume is the biggest among broken trees.
The reserve is made accessible for professional
and educational excursions by a hiking trial. In
2000, the reserve was visited by the successor to
the British throne, Prince Charles. As a result of
his visit and related publicity, public awareness
of the existence of primeval forest reserves in
Slovakia, and the need for their protection, was
significantly
increased.
Long–term
administrative forestry and scientific research
are conducted in the reserve. Information about
the site is presented in scientific, research and
forestry publications in Slovak and foreign
professional literature.
SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER 2003