The Usage of Non-Wood Forest Products - Culinary and Artisanal Traditions in Romania

Non-wood forest products are essential for numerous industrial branches, as well as for the creation of culinary and artisanal products. From this point of view, Romania has numerous such products. The present article succinctly describes ten products resulted from the local usage of some non-wood forest products: porcini soup in Bucovina (Porcinis mushrooms -Boletus edulis-); hârzobi in Neamt (trout fish- Salmo trutta fario); common beech trout in Covasna (Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms); truffles-Tuber sp.- zacusca (stew) in Bucharest; holopchi with porridge and porcini or honey mushrooms in Moisei; fir bellows cheese in Bran Moeciu; brandy from bird cherry fruits (Prunus avium) in Brad; tinder mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) in Harghita; fir’s needles for dead wreaths in Sibiu; rattle, rich snowdrop flowers, dried crocus flowers, roots and bark (privet bark, black alder bark, buckthorn bark) in Botiza. Knowing and promoting (creating local brands) these products is extremely important

Productivity differences between southern and northern slopes of Southern Carpathians (Romania) for Norway spruce, silver fir, birch and black alder

Forest vegetation across Southern Carpathians is distributed in altitudinal layers. The aim of this study was to highlight the productivity differences between the Southern and Northern slopes of the Southern Carpathians for Norway spruce, silver fir, birch and black alder. Data from 45 forest management plans (46.329 stands from the Southern slopes and 32.787 stands from the Northern slopes) were used. For each stand, the mean diameter, mean height, age, standing volume, current volume increment and production class were assessed. Elementary statistical methods were used to identify the factors influencing productivity. Significant differences between the Southern and Northern slopes were recorded for silver fir. The volume and the current volume increment were higher on the Northern slopes. In the case of birch and black alder, the same two parameters recorded higher values on the Southern slopes. As regards Norway spruce, insignificant differences were recorded between the two slopes. The correlation between structure type and stand volume was positive and statistically significant in the case of Norway spruce, silver fir and birch, but it was negative in the case of alder. Analysing the correlation between stand volume and the main stand characteristics also revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between age and stand volume for all analysed species. The results of this study are especially interested for the forest managers and forest owners whose aim is to obtain a higher productivity for the studied species

THE MANAGEMENT OF NON-WOOD FOREST PRODUCTS IN BIHOR COUNTY

Bihor County is renowned for the quantity and quality of the non-wood forest products (NWFPs) harvested over time. Even if the potential of marketing of NWFPs is high, the focus is on timber production, that represents the main source of revenue for the forest owners. The aim of this research was to highlight the most important NWFPs from Bihor County. Four categories of NWFPs and nineteen criteria proposed within the FP1203 COST Action European non-wood forest products network were taken into account. An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate the performance of selected alternatives by means of pairwise comparisons. The analyses were performed by using the Expert Choice Desktop software package. The non-wood forest products with the highest potential for Bihor County were the truffles (Tuber spp.) and the pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L.), while the less important ones were the flowers of the black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) and bear’s garlic (Allium ursinum L.). Based on the results of this study, we conclude that Bihor County has a great potential for NWFPs mainly due to its great biodiversity as regards the forest ecosystems

AMARANTHUS PLANT – BETWEEN MYTH AND USAGE

Plant species from Amaranthus genus are extremely important from many points of view: from an historical point of view, they were mentioned in ancient cultures such as Inca or Ancient Greece; from a nutritional point of view, they have many usages as food sources or drinks in many cultures from all around the globe; from a cultural point of view, they have been an inspiration source for numerous poets; from an economic point of view, some are used as natural pigments. The present article shortly presents the mythology associated with Amaranthus genus, the usages of its different species as well as the inventory of plates present in INCDS Herbarium from Bucharest

Which Are the Best Site and Stand Conditions for Silver Fir (<i>Abies alba</i> Mill.) Located in the Carpathian Mountains?

Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is one of the most valuable and productive tree species across European mountains, that accomplish multiple economic, protective and ecologic functions. Alongside spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), silver fir is a characteristic species for the Romanian Carpathians. Although silver fir tree is recommended for the diversification of forests in order to increase the resistance to climate change, it is very sensitive to climatic excesses, especially those that proceed rapidly. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate both the environmental conditions and stand characteristics of fir from five mountain ranges of the Romanian Carpathians. The study is based on data recorded over a period of 10 years (1990–2000). As such, a total of 77,251 stands that occupy 211,954 hectares have been investigated in regard to silver fir behaviour. MATLAB scripts were used for analysing consistent data volumes as well as the impact of eight factors on the silver fir productivity (altitude, field aspect, field slope, soil type, participation percentage, road distance, structure and consistency). Our analysis has revealed that higher silver fir productivity is found at altitudes of up to 1200 m, on mid and upper slopes, on NW field aspects, on eutric cambisols and dystric cambisols, with a 10–20% participation in stand composition and in relatively-even aged stands with a full consistency. This study offers valuable insights for forest managers that require comprehensive information in adopting effective strategies to enhance forest resilience under climate change