Monitoring of forest ecosystems in Serbia

Abstract

The importance of forests in soil protection, carbon sequestration, and the development of a number of activities that are significant to the population of and rural development in the Republic of Serbia is immeasurable. Forest monitoring programs have been established due to many factors that disturb the conditions of forests throughout Serbia, such as the (i) National Forest Inventory (NFI) and (ii) International Co-operative Program on the Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP - Forests). In addition, the effects of climate changes on forests have been monitored. The areas, ownerships and capacities of the major tree species from the forests were evaluated by the NFI. It was noted that forest areas increased by 465 611 ha from 1979 to 2007 and that forest conditions also improved. Two levels of monitoring of air pollution effects on forests (ICP - Forests) were established. Level I has been implemented since 2003 at 130 observation plots and level II since 2009 at 2 observation plots. Results that were obtained during several years of monitoring at level I have revealed deteriorated crown conditions as the first signs of weakness and potential drying. Level II monitoring that was conducted over the course of two years showed differences between measurements in tree crown conditions, foliage, soil and soil solution chemical composition, tree growth, ground vegetation, atmospheric deposition, meteorological data, leaf phenology and forest litter composition, which were comparable to previous results. However, the durations of the studies are still not long enough to draw reliable conclusions. The sites, where microclimatic conditions and oxidative drought stresses were observed, were set up to monitor the impacts of climate changes in the most important forests and plantations in Serbia. These analyses revealed significant differences in microclimate parameters (air temperatures and relative humidity). To gather information on the adaptability of the most important tree species in the area, the International beech provenance tests were established, in which the most significant morphological, anatomical and physiological parameters were observed. Differing heights of juvenile stage plants corresponding to different growth locations are presented. The monitoring of forest ecosystems in Serbia are in the beginning stages. The collected data are insufficient for establishing a database for forest ecosystem monitoring, and the results cannot be systematized at this time. In the future, studies should focus on long-term monitoring and simulate ecosystem dynamics and functions. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.