Virgin forests in Romania and Bulgaria: results of two national inventory projects and their implications for protection

Abstract

Despite extensive forest destruction in the Middle Ages and later intensive commercial forest management, remnants of virgin forests remained spared in some Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European countries. These virgin forests are the last examples of original forests in this part of Europe. That is why their protection becomes an important issue of current European forestry and nature protection policy. But the knowledge about the location and the area of virgin forests in these countries is incomplete up till now. This article has the prime goal to present a conceptual framework what virgin forests might be (''A conceptual framework for defining of virgin forests'' section). Based on this framework, a working methodology has been tested in Bulgaria and Romania (''Results of the two national projects in Romania and in Bulgaria'' section and further). For this reason two projects have been carried out by the Royal Dutch Society of Nature Conservation (KNNV) in close co-operation with the Forestry Institutes in Romania and in Bulgaria. The results of these projects are described in general terms and further analysis in the future is necessary to describe specific features like forest structure and spatial heterogeneity of these forests. Based on the results of the inventory, principles of sustainable protection and management of the mapped virgin forests were defined and described in the research reports. The usefulness of the inventory became evident already during the EU pre-accession period of both countries while preparing the NATURA 2000 network. The remaining virgin forests of temperate Europe are an inexhaustible source of ecological information about biodiversity, structure, natural processes and overall functioning of undisturbed forest ecosystems. Their research will reveal information which can be used for ecological restoration of man-made forests which are degraded through intensive forestry practices over the last centuries. The last virgin forests of temperate Europe represent an irreplaceable part of the natural capital of Europe and are worth to be protected by law. Their last remnants in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe are endangered by commercial activities. A full inventory of remaining virgin forests in all countries of temperate Europe is a matter of highest urgency. A representative selection of virgin forest sites should be declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.

Spatial variability of close-to-primeval Fagus–Abies–Picea forests in the Western Carpathians (Central Europe): a step towards a generalised pattern

“…The natural stands of shadetolerant European beech (Fagus sylvatica), silver fir (Abies alba), and Norway spruce (Picea abies), formerly widespread in the mountain regions (Mayer and Ott 1991), exist today only in relic form in a few locations in central and south-eastern Europe (Mayer 1986;Korpel' 1993;Veen et al 2010). The dynamics of such forests is driven by disturbances of minor intensity that kill single or eventually small groups of trees (Standovár and Kenderes 2003;Splechtna et al 2005;Zeibig et al 2005;Nagel and Svoboda 2008;Firm et al 2009;Trotsiuk et al 2012) and favour multilayered stand structures (Commarmot et al 2005;Westphal et al 2006;Kucbel et al 2010;Š ebková et al 2011;Motta et al 2011).…”

Effectiveness of Natura 2000 network in Romanian Alpine Biogeographical Region: an assessment based on forest landscape connectivity

“…(Strambu et al 2005, Ioja et al 2010. In many Romanian Carpathian regions, logging is the main economic activity and source of income (Toader & Dumitru 2005), and protection action is not efficient enough (Veen et al 2010).…”

First signs of old-growth structure and composition of an oak forest after four decades of abandonment

“…Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) dominated and other mesic deciduous forests, often occurring on higher altitudes of mountainous regions, have several virgin sites or patches with long time-span of non-intervention (Veen et al 2010). Numerous papers discuss their composition (Chiavetta et al 2012), amount of large trees (Nilsson et al 2002), dead wood characteristics (Bobiec 2002;Nilsson et al 2002, Christensen et al 2005, Piovesan et al 2005, Vandekerkhove et al 2009), stand structure (Piovesan et al 2005, Westphal et al 2006, Horváth et al 2012, biodiversity (Ódor et al 2006, Heilmann-Clausen et al 2014, dynamics and history (Koop & Hilgen 1987, Korpeľ 1995, Standovár & Kenderes 2003.…”