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184<br />
coNservaTIoN oF GeNeTIc resources oF euroPeaN<br />
beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) IN PoLaNd<br />
MałGorzata sułkowska<br />
Forest Research Institute, Department of Genetics and Physiology of Woody Plants,<br />
Sękocin Stary, 3, Braci Leśnej St., 05-090 Raszyn, Poland<br />
absTracT<br />
European beech stands cover 5.2% of the forest area in Poland. The most typical forest tree associations<br />
are formed at the lower forest range in the Carpathians and Su<strong>de</strong>ten Mountains in the South of Poland<br />
and at morainic landscape of Pomeranian Lake District of North Poland. In Poland beech reaches the<br />
north-eastern limit of its natural range. The growth of beech stands outsi<strong>de</strong> the natural beech range<br />
indicates that the species possesses a potentially much wi<strong>de</strong>r range. Methods are presented which<br />
are used in conservation of Polish beech genetic resources and state of research related to genetic<br />
variation as well as silvicultural problems.<br />
Key words: European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), buk zwyczajny (in Polish), distribution, genetic<br />
variation, Poland, forestry research<br />
curreNT sTaTe oF euroPeaN beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)<br />
IN PoLaNd<br />
European beech stands cover 5.2% (44 ,500 ha) of forest area in Poland (Forests in Poland 2009).<br />
European beech belongs to the dynamic species in Pomerania and frequently supplants other forest<br />
species, mainly oak and sometimes also Scots pine. Fagus sylvatica forms enter woods of the lower<br />
mountain forest range in southern Poland (usually altitu<strong>de</strong> 450 m a. s. l.). Its role was consi<strong>de</strong>rably<br />
restricted in the Su<strong>de</strong>ten Mts. due to Norway spruce promotion in the past. The most elevated<br />
locations of the species were reported from about 1,000 – 1,200 m in this mountain range. The<br />
occurrence of European beech has not been limited so strongly in the forests on the Carpathians.<br />
European beech dominating forests are especially extensive in the eastern part of this range growing<br />
there up to altitu<strong>de</strong> about 1,200 m. It forms the upper forest limit in the Bieszczady Mts. European<br />
beech stands of the highest quality are located mainly in the north-western part of Poland, central<br />
part and the southern part of Poland (Boratyńska, Boratyński 1990). The present genetic<br />
structure of European beech populations in Poland was formed by many different factors, not only<br />
by environmental and genetic, but also by anthropogenic factors. Very important factors that affected<br />
the gene pool were glacial epoch, the location of beech refugia, and the postglacial migration paths<br />
of the species (Szafer 1935, Huntley, Birks 1983, Ralska-Jasiewiczowa 1983, Hazler et al.<br />
199 ). Different environmental condition resulted in a great number of ecotypes and populations<br />
that characterized various ecological requirements (Dzwonko 1990, Giertych 1990). In Poland,<br />
European beech reaches the north-eastern limit of its natural range (Szafer, Pawłowski 19 2,
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