There are several mechanisms that allow plants to temporarily escape from top-down control. One of them is trophic cascades triggered by top predators or pathogens. Another is satiation of consumers by mast seeding. These two mechanisms have traditionally been studied in separation. However, their combined action may have a greater effect on plant release than either process alone. In 2015, an outbreak of a disease (African swine fever, ASF) caused a crash in wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) abundance in Białowieża Primeval Forest. Wild boar are important consumers of acorns and are difficult to satiate relative to less mobile granivores. We hypothesized that the joint action of the ASF outbreak and masting would enhance regeneration of oaks ( Quercus robur ). Data from ungulate exclosures demonstrated that ASF led to reduction in acorn predation. Tree seedling data indicated that oak recruitment increased twofold relative to pre-epidemic period. Our results showed that perturbations caused by wildlife disease travel through food webs and influence forest dynamics. The outbreak of ASF acted synergistically with masting and removed herbivore top-down control of oaks by mobile consumers. This illustrates that the ASF epidemic that currently occurs across Europe can have broad effects on forest dynamics.

The provision of forest ecosystem services (such as biodiversity, water and soil protection, and recreation) is often associated with a reduction in timber harvesting. In the case of private forests, such a situation requires institutional solutions that allow the economic balance of forest management to be maintained. The aim of the study was to find out the average value of monetary compensation private forest owners would expect in case of timber harvesting restrictions. The study was conducted with a random sample of 1003 forest landowners. The average value of expected compensation ranged from PLN 2300/year/ha (which corresponds to the price of about 12 m3 of wood in Poland) under the condition of no restrictions on timber harvesting but the need to apply indicated of forest management methods, to PLN 4900/year/ha in the model assuming a total ban on harvesting. In general, higher compensation was expected by farmers who stated that they sold timber and those whose agricultural area was larger than the average in Poland. When harvesting restrictions are low, the expected compensation is influenced by the age and gender of the respondent, or the number of people in the household.

The main purpose of this article was to highlight the potential for enhancing positive silvicultural effects and their dependency on the management method in Scots pine Pinus sylvestris L. stands. We therefore assessed the impact of natural and artificial regeneration on vitality and health, compaction, surface coverage and seedlings height. Another important goal was to assess the severity of damage in the selected forest sites. A comparative analysis was carried out based on results from field work conducted in the autumn 2010 in the Forest District Nowa Dęba. As part of this field work, also the breeding quality of the analyzed pine renewals was assessed. The obtained results indicate that natural regeneration of Scots pine under the conditions of a fresh coniferous forest as well as a fresh mixed coniferous forest is the most reasonable management practice. In wet mixed coniferous forests however, the naturally regenerating Scots pine seedlings are of lower silvicultural quality and growth parameter values compared to those in artificially regenerated stands. In fresh mixed broadleaved forests, naturally regenerated Scot pine trees showed slightly lower silvicultural quality and vitality than artificially regenerated trees. Our results indicate furthermore that there are indeed conditions under which the restoration of Scots pine in the Nowa Dęba Forest District using natural regeneration is preferable. We also found that the employed method of renewing has a significant impact on pine growth parameters in the moist mixed coniferous forest habitat. Naturally renewing pines are characterized by a lower overall viability, but at the same time natural regeneration provides a larger number of individuals with the best viability (1st vitality class), which can be a valuable selection basis for trees used in breeding.

The utilization of primary and secondary woody biomass resources, despite controversies, is being promoted to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and due to the need to diversify energy sources and ensure energy security in European Union countries. Forest biomass is one of the renewable and sustainable energy sources that can be used for electricity, heat, and biofuel production. In the context of the ongoing energy crisis in Europe, an attempt was made to analyze the production and consumption of woody biomass for energy purposes (fuel wood, chips, and pellets). Specifically, an analysis of similarities between European countries in terms of biomass utilization was conducted. The analysis was complemented by a forecast of primary biomass production in selected European countries. The similarity analysis was conducted using the Ward method. Artificial neural networks (ANNs), including multi-layer feedforward perceptron (MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) models, were used to predict fuelwood extraction. The study showed that woody biomass remains an important source of bioenergy in Europe, and its significance as a strategic resource guaranteeing energy security is likely to increase. Fuel wood harvesting in Europe generally shows an upward trend, particularly in the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Denmark, and the UK. A decreasing trend was observed in France, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus. The analysis revealed differences between countries in terms of woody biomass consumption. The ANN-based forecasts of fuelwood supply generally showed an increase in primary biomass harvesting.

In Poland, the afforestation rate is slowing down from year to year. An analysis of the demographic structure of land owners suitable for afforestation may contribute to a better recognition of trends and needs in order to increase the effectiveness of National Programme for the Augmentation of Forest Cover implementation, and thus increase interest in RDP activities. The aim of the study was to verify whether interest in afforestation among farmers is the same across the country in different age groups.The data presented in the publication come from the resources of the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARiMR). The data covered the years 2004–2018 and were sorted by: voivodships (16), age group of beneficiaries of subsidies (4 groups), year of submitting the application (15 years) and the number of applications submitted. Beneficiaries were divided into four age groups: up to 30 years old, 31–40 years old, 41–60 and older than 60 years.Interest in afforestation changed in the period after Poland’s accession to the European Union. In recent years, there has been a significant decrease in the number of applications for afforestation subsidies submitted. There are also significant differences between the voivodships in the number of applications submitted. Farmers from eastern and southern Poland are more active in submitting applications for afforestation, and will reduce the so-called Recovered Territories in the western, northern and north-eastern part of Poland. Most afforestation in the entire analysed period is carried out by farmers aged 41–60 years. In the initial period, more applications were submitted by farmers of age over 60 years. In recent years, however, young farmers, that is, up to 40 years, are more interested in afforestation, than other groups.To increase interest in afforestation, more support should be directed to young farmers who, as part of farm specialization, may receive additional incentives for afforestation of land that is less useful to them.