Na sadikah rdečega in črnega bora smo testirali patogenost osmih izbranih izolatov gliv (Corinectria fuckeliana, Diaporthe eres, Diplodia pinea, Fusarium sp. 1 in 2, Fusicolla sp., Nectria dematiosa in Tympanis sp.), ki smo jih izolirali iz obolelih borovih dreves v Sloveniji v letih 2020 in 2021. Inokulirali smo skupno 115 sadik borov (vključno s kontrolo), periodično smo preverjali njihovo zdravstveno stanje in ob prvih znakih sušenja opravili reizolacije iz robov nastalih nekroz. Reizolacije so bile uspešne le v primeru inokulacije z vrstami gliv Diplodia pinea, Diaporthe eres in Fusarium sp. 2. Povprečna dolžina nekroz sadik rdečega bora, inokuliranih z D. pinea, Di. eres in Tympanis sp., se je statistično značilno razlikovala od kontrolnih sadik (p < 0,05). Pri sadikah črnega bora pa so se za statistično značilne izkazale povprečne dolžine nekroz pri kontroli in inokulacijah z glivama D. pinea in Tympanis sp. (p < 0,05).

Urban and peri-urban forests are important habitats for maintaining biodiversity in cities. In this paper, we report a method for using hoverflies as biodiversity indicators in urban forest habitats. As a case study, forest habitats in three peri-urban and urban forests were assessed and compared to rural forests in Slovenia. Rožnik (Ljubljana) was chosen as the urban forest site, Mestni log (Ljubljana) and Brdo (Kranj) were chosen as the peri-urban sites, and eight sites were chosen in rural forests in different ecoregions in Slovenia. Forest hoverfly species richness and the species composition of different biological traits were compared between the peri-urban forests, urban forest and rural forest sites. In addition, species richness was assessed for changes in response to weather conditions between years. The number of species with the investigated traits in the urban and peri-urban forests was within the range of the number of species observed in the rural forests. The number of saproxylic species was higher in the urban forest but lower in the peri-urban forests compared to the rural forests. The proportions of species with different feeding modes and different development times were similar between the peri-urban, urban and rural forests. The proportions of species with development times of less than 2 months or more than 1 year and of predatory species were similar in the urban and peri-urban forests but higher in the rural forests. The species composition of the other biological traits differed between the peri-urban, urban and rural forests. Species richness and abundance displayed large differences in phenological patterns between 2012 and 2013; these differences are related to differences in the minimum temperature for these years. The results are discussed in relation to forest management in urban forests, the usefulness of hoverflies as a biodiversity indicator and possible extrapolation to other species groups.

In this paper we evaluated key forestry related topics in the journal Landscape Ecology in the period 1987-2021 using keyword analysis to highlight which forestry topics have been relevant for landscape ecologists from the inception of the IALE organisation until present. Our analysis has shown that forests have far too often been just a framework for research focusing on management interventions in the forest. The three key words with the highest frequencies were forest/wood fragmentation, forest management and forest(s). Until now, however, we have not made sufficient use of the opportunity to study the field of forest ecosystem functionning at the landscape level. Suggestions for future reserch are therefore given.

Based on previous measurements from 1962 to 2017 on forest research plots located on former slash-and-burn farming areas in the cadastral municipality of Koprivna, the diameter and height increment as well as volume increments of the two main tree species - spruce and larch - were calculated. These set-aside natural research plots have a smaller mean basal area diameter, but the number of trees is higher than in comparable managed forests. Due to the high-density of tree stands over the past thirty years, radial increment of spruce and larch has declined. To determine the influence of environmental factors on radial growth of spruce and larch, a dendrochronological analysis was conducted. According to the dendrochronological analysis of radial increment of trees, the number of years with a negative response has been higher since 1984.

Reliable data and methods for assessing changes in wildlife population size over time are necessary for management and conservation. For most species, assessing abundance is an expensive and labor-intensive task that is not affordable on a frequent basis. We present a novel approach to reconstructing brown bear population dynamics in Slovenia in the period 1998-2019, based on the combination of two CMR non-invasive genetic estimates (in 2007 and 2015) and long-term mortality records, to show how the latter can help the study of population dynamics in combination with point-in-time estimates. The spring (i.e. including newborn cubs) population size estimate was 383 (CI: 336-432) bears in 1998 and 971 (CI: 825-1161) bears in 2019. In this period, the average annual population growth rate was 4.5 %. The predicted population size differed by just 7 % from the non-invasive genetic size estimate after eight years, suggesting that the method is reliable. It can predict the evolution of the population size under different management scenarios and provide information on key parameters, e.g. background mortality and the sex- and age-structure of the population. Our approach can be used for several other wildlife species, but it requires reliable mortality data over time.

Raziskovali smo poškodovanost drevja zaradi snega v pretežno mešanih gozdnih sestojih na bukovih rastiščih v Sloveniji. V analizo smo vključili 22.609 oddelkov s prevladujočimi bukovimi rastišči, v katerih je bil delež bukve vsaj 10 % lesne zaloge sestojev. Delež iglavcev v sanitarnem poseku je bil večji pri snegolomih in vetrolomih, pri žledolomih sta bila deleža listavcev in iglavcev skoraj enaka. V bukovih gozdovih je zaradi snega najbolj poškodovano drevje v mlajših in srednjedobnih razvojnih fazah debelin 20%40 cm. Na podvzorcu 363 oddelkov, za katere smo pridobili podatke o lastnostih snežne odeje, smo z binarno logistično regresijo izdelali model verjetnosti pojava snegoloma. V model smo vključili spremenljivke količine snega v spomladanskih mesecih, fitoregijo, skalnatost, naklon terena in matično podlago. Najpomembnejša spremenljivka je bila količina snega v spomladanskih mesecih. Razlog za relativno visok sanitarni posek v bukovih gozdovih je povečan delež smreke v gozdnih sestojih, bukev je veliko manj dovzetna za poškodbe zaradi snega kot smreka. Za povečanje odpornosti sestojev predlagamo pogostejša klasična redčenja nižjih jakosti ali uvedbo situacijskih redčenj v sestojih mlajših in srednjedobnih sestojih.

Despite numerous dendroclimatological investigations into different tree species from Bosnia and Herzegovina, information is lacking on intra-annual wood formation patterns, which would help us to interpret the climate signal in tree rings better. Using the pinning method and manual band dendrometers, we investigated the seasonal dynamics of radial growth of black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) trees in two successive growing seasons: 2011 and 2012. The up to 60-year-old trees grew in a stand at the base of a hill in the western, mountainous part of the Balkan Peninsula. The seasonal dynamics of wood formation and final number of cells differed between the studied years. Wood formation started in both years in early to mid-March. Differences were noticed in the wood production culmination; in 2011 it occurred at the end of May and beginning of June in 2012 and 2011, respectively. Xylem growth finished in 2012 in the middle of August and in 2011 in the middle of September. Based on the first derivative of the Gompertz function calculated rate of xylem growth was lowest in 2011. The dendrometers recorded a slow increment rate in spring, higher in summer and a decreasing rate again in the late summer in both growing seasons. In comparison with pinning, dendrometers showed a delay in the start of radial growth of up to 20 days in 2012. Additionally, dendrometers showed an increase in stem girth after the end of both growing seasons, when wood formation was already completed. Deviations between the two methods could be ascribed to the influence of water storage dynamics in the main stem and numerous structural processes in bark tissue, which are captured in dendrometer data. The influence of weather conditions on xylem phenology is also indicated by differences between the two studied years, although it is difficult to identify the influence of particular short-term weather events.

Drought stress elicits many changes in tree fine roots and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Trees cope with drought through avoidance mechanisms or tolerance. Drought can result in changes in colonization by ectomycorrhizal fungi and in the structure of ectomycorrhizal communities. Survival of tree seedlings is supported through common mycelium networks. In moderate drought, there is greater colonization by ectomycorrhizal fungi compared to severe drought, resulting in several beneficial effects to the tree. Under drought, the frequency of ectomycorrhizal fungus Cenococcum geophilum Fr. often increases. C. geophilum sustains tree fine roots function and therefore roots are able to absorb water as soon as the drought period is over. Under drought, synthesis of recalcitrant organic compounds in roots, e.g. lignine, is increased. Recalcitrant compounds such as melanine are also found in C. geophilum, contributing to the accumulation of recalcitrant soil organic matter.