Tatra National Park - Slovakia

The spruce forest ecosystem has been intensively studied since 1990s (resistance to pollution, insect infestation, weather extremes). After large-scale destruction by wind (12,000 ha) in 2004, consequent bark beetle outbreak (7,000 ha) and fire, the research was focused to four research plots (min. 100 ha each). Three of them were damaged by wind disturbance: plot NEX without forestry management (no timber extraction, no afforestation); plot EXT from which timber was extracted and the plot was afforested; plot FIR damaged by fire one year after the wind disturbance. The last plot (REF) is not affected by wind disturbance (reference plot). The monitoring equipment (meteorological stations, dendrometres, transpiration flow sensors, soil lysimeters, precipitation collectors, etc.) was installed in each plot. The focus was mainly on monitoring the spatial variability of soil, vegetation and zoocenoses. Our studies confirmed permanent disturbance regime on the affected area and unexpectedly fast and successful regeneration of ecosystem after damage. The intense, but short-term increase in nutrient flows (especially nitrogen) and the renewal of carbon sequestration confirm the adaptation of ecosystems to this disturbance regime. We found increase in biodiversity (abundance and diversity of fauna and flora) caused by disturbance. Future risk poses projected warming which might dramatically change growing condition for dominant tree species and increase population of bark beetles.