Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the forest stand structure in managed and unmanaged ravine forests. The study was conducted in the Carpathians and the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland (SE Poland). We used 24 plots, of which 13 were from managed forests and 11 from unmanaged areas. We used 12 metrics related to both living and dead trees. The density of large living trees, quadratic mean diameter and maximum diameter were higher in the unmanaged forests, while the total density of all living trees, percentage of dead trees and number of stumps were higher in the managed forests. In addition, we found only subtle differences related to dead trees. The point pattern analysis also showed differences in the spatial distribution of trees. In unmanaged forests, we found a tendency towards tree aggregation, which was significant in several plots at small distances (up to 5 m), thereby suggesting the common presence of trees with multiple stems. In managed forests, we did not find any significant deviations from random patterns. Our findings show that forest management significantly influences the stand structure in ravine forests. Surprisingly, although metrics related to dead trees are considered as the best indicators of naturalness, we detected only subtle differences between managed and unmanaged forests. The characteristics related to living trees performed much better when distinguishing between managed and unmanaged stands. This is probably due to the specific habitat conditions in ravine forests characterized by steep slopes and highly dynamic dead biomass. In addition, a lack of tree clusters in managed forests is probably a result of selective cutting of trees with multiple stems. Finally, we conclude that the analysis of stand structure is more sensitive for the detection of management than a comparison of the plant species composition.

中文翻译：

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森林经营对沟谷林林分结构的影响

摘要 本研究的目的是比较管理和非管理沟谷林的林分结构。该研究在喀尔巴阡山脉和克拉科夫-琴斯托霍瓦高地（波兰东南部）进行。我们使用了 24 个地块，其中 13 个来自管理森林，11 个来自非管理区域。我们使用了 12 个与活树和死树相关的指标。大活树密度、二次平均直径和最大直径在未经营林中较高，而在经营林中所有活树的总密度、死树百分比和树桩数较高。此外，我们只发现了与死树相关的细微差异。点模式分析还显示了树木空间分布的差异。在未管理的森林中，我们发现了树木聚集的趋势，这在小距离（最多 5 m）的几个地块中很重要，从而表明具有多个茎的树木的普遍存在。在受管理的森林中，我们没有发现与随机模式的任何显着偏差。我们的研究结果表明，森林管理显着影响峡谷森林中的林分结构。令人惊讶的是，尽管与死树相关的指标被认为是自然性的最佳指标，但我们仅检测到管理和未管理森林之间的细微差异。在区分管理林分和非管理林分时，与活树相关的特征表现得更好。这可能是由于峡谷森林中的特定栖息地条件以陡峭的斜坡和高度动态的死生物量为特征。此外，管理林中缺乏树丛可能是选择性砍伐多茎树木的结果。最后，我们得出结论，与植物物种组成的比较相比，林分结构分析对于管理检测更敏感。