Forest%20models%20in%20Bulgaria:%20main%20developments%20and%20challenges

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COST ACTION FP0603 Forest models for research
and decision support in sustainable forest
management

• Forest models in Bulgaria main developments and
  challenges
• WG1
• Tatiana Stankova, Tzvetan Zlatanov, Ivailo
  Markoff, Toma Tonchev

1st Workshop and Management Committee
Meeting.Institute of Silviculture, BOKU.8-9 of
May 2008Vienna, Austria
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Main features of Bulgarian forests

• Forest cover (total/share)
• 3 651 243 ha/33 of the total area
• Growing stock, annual growth and cuts
• 590 396 884 m3, 7 055 885 m3 annual loggings
  (1.20 of the growing stock
• Main species Pinus sylvestris, P. nigra, P.
  peuce, Picea abies, Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica,
  Populus sp., Quercus robur, Q. petrea, Q.
  frainetto, Q. cerris
• Main non-wood products and services
• mushrooms, berries, medicinal herbs
• soil protection, hunting, biodiversity,
  recreation
• Main risks
• Effects of climate change (recurrent floodings,
  droughts, etc)
• Changing of hydrological balance of lowland and
  riverside forest ecosystems due to establishment
  of irrigation constructions and hydroelectric
  power-stations
• Destroying of mountainous forests through
  establishment of new tourist infrastructures
• Forest fires
• Illegal cuts.
• Management and silvicultural characteristics
• Great diversity of pure and mixed forest types
  and forest sites
• High value of non-timber services and products
• Vast areas of erosion control plantations mainly
  from pine species
• Significant areas of industrial plantations

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Forest modelling approaches and trends

• Main types of models developed
• Growth and yield tables for fully stocked stands
  and plantations of the main forest tree species
• Growth and yield tables for some poplar clones
  differentiated by initial densities
• Volume and assortment tables for individual trees
  and stands of the main forest tree species
• Aboveground biomass tables for Scots pine,
  Austrian black pine, White Fir and Norway spruce
• Stem form height tables and functions for the
  main forest tree species
• Stem volume functions for the main forest tree
  species
• Models of the height, diameter and stem form
  factor structure of the stands from the main
  types of forest tree species
• Stand Density Management (Control) Diagrams for
  Scots pine and Austrian black pine plantations
• Trends in modeling
• The growth and yield tables currently used are
  classified by relative site index classes
  (anamorphic site index curves)
• The growth and yield tables currently used are
  not diversified by densities or stocking rates
• Trends to model differentiation regarding
• - The site indices Polymorphic classification
  of the site index curves by stand growth mode and
  the respective growth and yield tables are
  developed for Scots pine, European beech, White
  Fir, Norway spruce and Macedonian pine natural
  stands and are currently being implemented in the
  forest inventory and management practices
• - Initial densities Growth and yield tables
  for poplar clones differentiated by initial
  densities

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Forest modelling approaches and trends

• Recent research is concentrating in
• Development of polymorphic classification of the
  site index curves by stand growth mode and the
  respective growth and yield tables for stands and
  plantations of other main forest tree species
• Biomass functions for short-term biomass
  production from intensively managed plantations
• Development of complex stand level models for
  growth and yield estimation and for planning and
  optimization of density and manegement activities
  - Stand Density Control (Management) Diagrams
• Developing forest management information systems
  based on models

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Simulators and information systems

• Inventory
• - Inventory evaluation programmes after
  Schmidt-Haas
• - Lesotest - Programme for visualisation and
  validation of attribute and graphic data
• http//agrolesproject.com/cgi-bin/agro1?mmed6ze
  m2
• Stand level simulators
• - Volume predicting programmes (Proles,
  Agrolesporject)
• - Timber assortment predicting programmes (IG,
  Woodsort, Sort, WOODSELL 2000)
• (Woodsort Dobrichov, Il. 1995. Volume and
  assortment modeling of trees and stand. PhD
  thesis, University of Forestry, Sofia.)
• (WOODSELL 2000 Vs. 3.0 Dobrichov, Il., R.
  Petrov, V. Valkov, D. Karamelski, M. Mateev, E.
  Evangelov. 2000. WOODSELL 2000 Vs. 3.0, BULWARK
  Ltd.)
• Forest level decision support systems
• - Programme for monetary apraisal of forests
  (WB)
• - Programme for logging costs calculation
  (IG-Norm).
• - LesView Programme for attribute forest data
  management http//agrolesproject.com/cgi-bin/agro1
  ?mmed6lv
• - DitaView Programme for the graphic forest
  data management http//agrolesproject.com/cgi-bin/
  agro1?mmed6ditav
• Process based simulators

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Data bases/archives on forest simulation models

• Data base of logging (PR, System NUG)
• http//nug.bg/cgi-bin/index.cgi?UnitUsesactNew
  type2
• Data base of forest cultivation practices (GS)
• http//nug.bg/cgi-bin/index.cgi?UnitLkmactNew
• Virgin forests data base (GIS based)- Peter Veen
  and Ivan Raev (Ed.). 2006. Virgin forests in
  Bulgaria. Sofia (based on scientific report of
  the project PINMATRA/2002/011)
• Data base State of the forest ecosystems in
  Bulgaria (MS Access based) under ICP "Forests
  Assessment and monitoring of air pollution
  effects on forests
• A National register of the seed production
  sources seed stands, seed orchards, ortet
  collections, provenance test plantations and
  selected parental trees.

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Research highlight Monitoring plots under ICP
"Forests
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Virgin forests in Bulgaria as a part of the WWF
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Future challenges

• Modeling risk from anthropogenic disturbances
• Modeling forest regeneration and succession
  (including after hazards)
• Simulation models of coppice forests
  transformation processes
• Simulation models of coniferous plantations
  transformation processes
• Density optimization models for various
  management objectives
• Software development for the SDCDs for Scots pine
  and Austrian black pine plantations (Process
  based simulators)
• Demonstrating the potential of models and
  simulators
• Economical models to optimize forest management
• Modeling open forest areas dynamics
• Modeling non-timber products and services
  management.

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Innovative references

• Douhovnikov, Y. 1965. Method of adapted scaling
  indices for stand structure and growth
  relationships determination for sustainable
  management. PhD thesis, Sofia, 219pp. (in
  Bulgarian)
• Mihov, I., V. Marinkov. Precision and
  effectiveness of the combined method for forest
  stands taxation. Forestry (Sofia) 7, 1990
  Forestry (Sofia) 1, 1991. (In Bulgarian)
• - Stankova, T. 2005. A density control model
  for Austrian black pine plantations in Bulgaria.
  Forest Science (Sofia) 3 29-50. (In Bulgarian
  with English summary).
• Panayotov, M. and Yurukov, S., 2005.
  Dendroecological analysis of the influence of
  strong winds and snow accumulation on the growth
  of trees at the treeline in Vitosha Mountain,
  Bulgaria. Proceedings of tree rings in
  Archaeology, Climatology and Ecology (TRACE 2005)
  Conference, 21-23d April 2005, Fribourg,
  Switzerland 164-173.
• Mihov. I., T. Tonchev. 2006. Growth model of a
  coppiced beech stand. International Scientific
  Conference Management and sustainable
  development. 25 27 March 2007, Yundola,
  Bulgaria. (in Bulgarian)