Norway spruce in forest ecosystems of the Czech Republic in relation to different forest site conditions

Abstract

The paper analyses the representation of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) (hereinafter spruce) in relation to different conditions of forest sites. The analysis is based on data from the National Forest Inventory conducted in the Czech Republic in 2001-2004 (hereinafter NFI), stratified according to units of the Forest Site Classification System (Plíva 1971, 2000). Results of the analysis provide a structured image of the current share of spruce. The formerly published information on the natural share of spruce was corroborated and the recommended share of spruce in the target species composition of the spruce management system was analyzed. The analysis documents the applicability of NFI data in the technical discussion concerning the future form of forest ecosystems in the Czech Republic. The results can be used as the groundwork for concrete forest management decision-making and will contribute to the study of the biological diversity of forest ecosystems.