Yanovska I. Structural characteristics and regeneration of monodominant beech primeval forest in conditions of wet megatrophic pure beech forest type

Investigation object - a monodominant beech virgin forest in conditions of the wet megatrophic pure beech forest type within Ukrainian Carpathians. The purpose of the study is to reveal the structural features of the virgin forest structure in the conditions of the wet megatrophic pure beech forest type, trends in its changes and dynamics of its regeneration processes and to prepare forestry measures for the formation of stable high-productive monodominant beech forests. Methods of research - forest inventory, forest-biometric, Ukrainian, international. Based on the revealed structural features of the virgin forest in the conditions of the wet megatrophic pure beech forest type, their changes trends and their dynamics of natural regeneration processes obtained the following new results: Changes in the beech virgin forest parameters during its developing were weak and did not exceed 7%. Their significant growth observed only under the influence of extreme external factors; The most stable parameter of beech virgin forests in the conditions of the wet megatrophic pure beech forest type was the basal area of trees. On average, it was 43 m2per ha and varied within 3-5%. The most variable (up to 22%) is the wood volume with an average value of 670 m3per ha; Average number of undergrowth in the beech virgin forest of the wet megatrophic pure beech forest type was 26 thousand per ha. The rewere significant differences forsome areas: quantitative - from 22 to 32 thousand per ha, qualitative - the part of beech varied from 30 to 60percent in a species composition; Optimal tree numbers determined according to the beech virgin forest diameter distribution. These numbers in the monodominant beech forests varied depending on the virgin forest development stages(age groups of forests) from 449 trees perha at the age of the young generation up to 262 trees per ha at the age of maturity. The practical value of our results. The revealed structural and developing features of the monodominant beech virgin forest at different development stages gave a possibility to determine the methods and intensity of forestry measures for maintaining an optimal structure, high biotic stability and high productivity of exploited monodominant beech forests. Field of use: forestry.