Understory development in an oak forest in northern - Hungary: The subcanopy layer

Abstract Structural changes in the shrub layer were analysed in a Hungarian oak forest after the oak decline pandemics. This paper focuses on the following questions: (1) which of the woody species tolerated better the forest conditions after oak decline? (2) What are the ecological factors that explain the successful response of woody species to changes in light and thermal conditions? In the monitoring plot, the structural condition of specimens only above 8.0 m was observed. After the appearance of oak decline some Acer campestre, Cornus mas and Acer tataricum specimens appeared that reached between 8.0-13.0 m in height. Significant differences were revealed between top canopy density and foliage cover of the subcanopy and between top canopy density and mean cover of field maple. The findings of the study indicate that the forest responded to oak decline with significant structural rearrangement in the shrub layer and that three woody species compensated for the remarkable foliage loss in the top canopy. These species formed a second crown layer directly below the canopy formed by oaks.</jats:p

Understory development in an oak forest in Northern-Hungary: the subcanopy layer

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