Dynamics of tree mortality in the Sudety Mts. in years 2002-2018

The aim of the study was to present two issues concerning forests in the Sudety Mts. (SW Poland): 1) the process of tree mortality in individual years in the period between 2002 and 2018, as well as 2) the analysis of the radial growth of the main tree species (i.e. spruce, larch, beech, fir and Douglas fir). The intensity of the process of tree mortality is evidenced by the volume of wind-broken or wind-fallen trees and deadwood. The record volume of post-hurricane wood was harvested after the hurricane 'Cyril' (January 2007). The volume of wood removed in 2007-2008 amounted to 1.4 million m(3). Quite a high share of wind-broken and wind-fallen trees in the volume of harvested wood raw material concerned the years 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2018. In the latter year, the damage was caused by the hurricane 'Grzegorz'. The record removal of deadwood occurred in 2016 following an exceptionally severe drought in the 2015 growing season. The high volume of deadwood in 2017 and 2018 was augmented by quite a high volume of wind-broken and wind-fallen trees. Spruce and larch showed the strongest response to severe drought in 2015 by lowering the increment in diameter and producing a narrow layer of latewood, while the response of beech and Douglas fir was the slightest. No such response was found in fir. The main tree species in the Sudetes is spruce, which quickly disappears from this area. It is necessary to look for such species of trees that might replace spruce, i.e. species more suitable to changing climatic conditions, such as beech, oak, ash, sycamore, pine and larch but also fir and Douglas fir. The latter two species show a high tolerance to changing climatic conditions, and a high potential in the production of wood.