Acer Pseudoplatanus L., Tilia Cordata Mill. and Pinus Sylvestris L. as Valuable Tree Species in the Carpathian Forests

Abstract

Sycamore maple, little-leaf linden, and Scots pine occurring in unique mixed stands, such as beech and sycamore maple in the Bieszczady Mountains, linden forest in the Obrożyska Reserve (the Beskid Sądecki Mountains), and scattered Carpathian pine forests, were the subject of this study. It was found that sycamore maple can be a highly productive admixture and a co-dominant or even dominant species in beech forests as a protective species of the upper timberline at altitudes between 930 and 1,160 m. Little-leaf linden in stands where site conditions meet its requirements, especially in the lower part of the lower mountain zone at altitudes up to 600–700 m, is a suitable admixture or even co-dominant species that increases productivity. In the Polish Carpathian forests three pine population groups were distinguished on the basis of morphological (cone) traits—lowland, foothill, and mountain group—which also varied according to timber quality, stem, and crown traits, as well as copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and potassium (K) content in needles. Pine is a very good nursing tree species that enables other tree species, especially fir, to occur among pine trees or underneath their canopies.