Assessing the Provision of Ecosystem Services Using Forest Site Classification as a Basis for the Forest Bioeconomy in the Czech Republic

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43310%2F25%3A43927405" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43310/25:43927405 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/f16081242" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.3390/f16081242</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f16081242" target="_blank" >10.3390/f16081242</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Assessing the Provision of Ecosystem Services Using Forest Site Classification as a Basis for the Forest Bioeconomy in the Czech Republic

Original language description

The ecosystem services (ESs) of forests are the benefits that people derive from forest ecosystems. Their precise recognition is important for differentiating and determining the optimal principles of multifunctional forest management. The aim of this study is to identify some important ESs based on a site classification system at the lowest level-i.e., forest stands, at the forest owner level-as a tool for differentiated management. ESs were assessed within the Czech Republic and are expressed in units in accordance with the very sophisticated Forest Site Classification System. (1) Biomass production: The vertical differentiation of ecological conditions given by vegetation tiers, which reflect the influence of altitude, exposure, and climate, provides a basic overview of biomass production; the highest value is in the fourth vegetation tier, i.e., the Fageta abietis community. Forest stands are able to reach a stock of up to 900-1200 m3.haMINUS SIGN 1. The lowest production is found in the eighth vegetation tier, i.e., the Piceeta community, with a wood volume of 150-280 m3.haMINUS SIGN 1. (2) Soil conservation function: Geological bedrock, soil characteristics, and the geomorphological shape of the terrain determine which habitats serve a soil conservation function according to forest type sets. (3) The hydricity of the site, depending on the soil type, determines the hydric-water protection function of forest stands. Currently, protective forests occupy 53,629 ha in the Czech Republic; however, two subcategories of protective forests-exceptionally unfavorable locations and natural alpine spruce communities below the forest line-potentially account for 87,578 ha and 15,277 ha, respectively. Forests with an increased soil protection function-a subcategory of special-purpose forests-occupy 133,699 ha. The potential area of soil protection forests could be up to 188,997 ha. Water resource protection zones of the first degree-another subcategory of special-purpose forests-occupy 8092 ha, and there is potentially 289,973 ha of forests serving a water protection function (specifically, a water management function) in the Czech Republic. A separate subcategory of water protection with a bank protection function accounts for 80,529 ha. A completely new approach is presented for practical use by forest owners: based on the characteristics of the habitat, they can obtain information about the fulfillment of the habitat&apos;s ecosystem services and, thus, have basic information for the determination of forest categories and the principles of differentiated management.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

40102 - Forestry

Project

<a href="/en/project/TQ01000532" target="_blank" >TQ01000532: Proposal possibilities for sustainable regional development of forestry from the bioeconomy point of view</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Forests

ISSN

1999-4907

e-ISSN

1999-4907

Volume of the periodical

16

Issue of the periodical within the volume

8

Country of publishing house

CH - SWITZERLAND

Number of pages

29

Pages from-to

1242

UT code for WoS article

001558724900001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105014506149