Windthrows are the most important type of disturbance occurring in the forests of Central Europe. On 19 November 2004, the strong northeastern katabatic winds caused significant damage and land cover change to more than 126 km² of spruce forests in the Tatra National Park. The risk of subsequent soil erosion and accelerated runoff has increased in the affected habitats. Similar situations may reoccur this century as a consequence of climate change. A geographical approach and detailed research of the damaged area with more comprehensive statistical analyses of 47 independent variables will help us to obtain a deeper insight into the problem of windthrow disturbances. The results are based on a detailed investigation of the damaged stands, soil, and topography. A comprehensive input dataset enabled the evaluation of abiotic controls on windthrow disturbance through the use of a generalized additive model (GAM). The GAM revealed causal linear and nonlinear relationships between the local dependent quantitative variables (the damage index and the uprooting index) and independent variables (various soil and topography properties). Our model explains 69% of the deviance of the total damage. The distribution of the wind force depended upon the topographical position—mainly on the distance from the slope’s foot lines. The soil properties (mainly the soil skeleton, i.e., rock fragments in stony soils) affect the rate and manner of damage (uprooting), especially on sites with less wind force. Stem breakage with no relation to the soil prevailed in places with high force winds. The largest number of uprooted trees was recorded in localities without a soil skeleton. The spruce’s waterlogged shallow root system is significantly prone to uprooting. The comprehensive research found a significant relationship between the abiotic variables and two different measures of forest damage, and can expand the knowledge on wind impact in Central European forests.

中文翻译：

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使用广义加性模型评估风向扰动的非生物控制措施：以斯洛伐克塔特拉国家公园为例

掷风是中欧森林中最重要的干扰类型。2004年11月19日，东北方的强风吹袭造成了严重破坏，土地覆盖变化超过126 km ²塔特拉国家公园的云杉林的全景。在受影响的生境中，随后发生水土流失和径流加速的风险增加了。由于气候变化，本世纪可能再次发生类似情况。地理方法和对受损区域的详细研究，以及对47个独立变量的更全面的统计分析，将有助于我们更深入地了解风积扰动问题。结果基于对受损林分，土壤和地形的详细调查。全面的输入数据集可通过使用广义加性模型（GAM）来评估非自然风向控制措施。GAM揭示了局部因变量（破坏指数和连根拔起指数）与自变量（不同的土壤和地形特性）之间的因果线性和非线性关系。我们的模型可以解释总损坏量的69％。风力的分布取决于地形位置，主要取决于距坡脚线的距离。土壤特性（主要是土壤骨架，即石质土壤中的岩石碎片）会影响破坏的速度和方式（连根拔起），特别是在风力较小的地点。在强风的地方普遍存在与土壤无关的茎破裂。在没有土壤骨架的地方记录了最多的连根拔起的树木。云杉的涝渍浅根系很容易连根拔起。