The aim of this study was (1) to assess relationships binding hydroclimatic factors and radial growth of pedunculate oak and European ash growing on active terraces of river valleys; (2) to compare the growth reaction of these species from this location. Research site was located in a floodplain valley, within mid-course of the lowland section of the Warta River in the Lasy Czeszewskie Forest, Poland. The Warta River (length 808 km, basin area: 54,529 km2) is a mid-size European river, a tributary of the Odra River draining the North European Plain to the Baltic Sea. The sampled forest stand was an old growth composed of pedunculate oak and European ash mixed with other mature tree species. The main conclusions are: (1) ash in com-parison to oak growing on the same site located on floodplains appeared to be both more sen-sitive to hydroclimatical features and less ecologically flexible as far as monthly pattern of wa-ter requirements is concerned, therefore adaptation to changing climatic conditions and drought may be a greater ecological challenge for ash than for oak in river valleys; (2) stream-flow could be considered as the parameter that substituted precipitation well, or even was more important than precipitation, as far ...
The Uroczysko Warta is one of the most important riparian forest areas in Poland. The construction of the Jeziorsko reservoir resulted in changes in the Warta river hydrological regimes. This in turn led to a reduction in the floodplain area and flooding frequency, which as a consequence has had a dramatically detrimental effect on the floodplain forests in that wilderness. Riparian forests are among the richest and most beautiful forest ecosystems. Unfortunately, river regulation and flood control measures result in their degradation. In Poland only 0.2% total area is covered by riparian forests. The Uroczysko Warta is one of the most important groups of these habitats not only in Poland, but also on the European scale. It was assumed that the implementation of simple land and water system restoration systems - gates, barrages, culverts with backwater valve gates - may promote recreation of advantageous hydrological relations. This study presents results of water monitoring in the Uroczysko Warta Wilderness and the volume of deadwood formed as a consequence of hydrometeorological conditions. The paper provides a detailed description of climate characteristics (air temperature and precipitation) in the 30-year period of 1988-2017, i.e. after the commissioning of the Jeziorsko reservoir along with the ...
