Influence of groundwater level fluctuations on decline of higrophilous pedunculate oak forest

Abstract

Pedunculate oak forests at the area of Gornji Srem are one of the most significant forest ecosystems from ecological and economical point of view. Survival and development of this higrophilous species mainly depends on available water quantity needed for basic living functions maintaining. Bearing on mind that embankment building at this area eliminated influence of flooding, and that precipitation quantity during vegetation season is not enough, as well, pedunculate oak clearly provides its water needs from groundwater. The research was conducted within Forest Administrations "Morovic" and "Visnjicevo" that cover area of about 25.000 ha belonging to Forest Holding "Sremska Mitrovica". The scope of the paper was to determine an average (reference) level of groundwater during vegetation season for the whole researched period (2010-2013). The next step was to establish, based on climate parameters, extreme years (the driest and the wettest). After that it was necessary to find a deviation of an average groundwater level in critical years compared to reference level. These deviations establish how much an average groundwater level goes up during wettest and how much it goes down during the driest year compared to reference level, respectively. Based on above mentioned deviations, maps by using Kriging model have been made. These maps serve for risk zones determining. Practical contribution of the paper is related to positioning of potentially endangered areas, that means adaptation of management principles to present hydrological site conditions.