Some characteristics of the stagnation stage in the development of silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.) trees in selection forests in Serbia

Abstract

A period of stagnation in silver fir development has been recorded in all felled trees in selection forests of Serbia (233 trees on Mt. Goc and 451 trees on Mt. Tara). In the selection forests on Mt. Goc the stagnation stage ranges between 40 and 330 years, but on Mt. Tara, it ranges from 15 to 185 years. It was concluded that the duration was caused not by the ecological and productivity potential (site class) of the soil for fir development, but primarily by the growth space, resulting from the application of single-tree selection or group selection systems. It was also found that the duration of latent state and tree sizes attained over that phase (except for height, and that was to a lesser extent) did not affect the silver fir tree development in the post-stagnation period.