Effect of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) on growth and survival of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) during the thicket stage

Abstract

Growth and mortality of oak (Quercus robur L.) in young mixed stands with various admixture of hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) in the period of 9−13 years after planting were examined. The trial stand is located in central Poland (51.827023° N, 19.922315° E). It was established in 2004 on a moderately fertile site. Four experimental variants with different participation of oak (O) and hornbeam (H) were established: W1 – an oak monoculture (control variant, 100% O), W2 – a mixed stand consisting of two rows of oak and one row of hornbeam (67% O, 33% H), W3 – a mixed stand consisting of one row of oak and one row of hornbeam (50% O, 50% H), W4 – a mixed stand characterized by a single tree mixture, with three oaks and one hornbeam alternately occurring in each row (75% O, 25% H). During the first two years of the study period the height increments of oak trees were significantly larger in the study variants with hornbeam (the biggest in W3 variant), while during the next two years, the largest values of height increments occurred in the control variant (W1). Through the second part of the study period, the most pronounced, negative effect of hornbeam on the dbh increment of oak trees took place in the W3 variant. During the first nine years after planting the survival rate of oak trees in the variants with hornbeam were similar (82−94%) as in the control variant (85%). However, during the next four years, three times more oaks died in W3 variant (16,5%) than in other variants (5−7%). In general, the results obtained suggest that in order to create mixed oak stands with hornbeam as a nursery species, the share of hornbeam should not exceed 20−25% of all planted trees. The above value appears to be acceptable from the point of view of the negative competitive effects of hornbeam on oak trees during the initial stages of stand development