Summary

The silvicultural system sets rules for the whole set of activities that aim at the gradual succession of generations in the forest so that the removal of trees or tree stands, the creation of the best conditions for the initiation and development of a new generation of trees of desirable species, the formation of a suitable tree stand structure as well as ensuring the natural biodiversity and stability under changing environmental conditions all take place simultaneously.

Types of silvicultural systems are defined by the way the felling is made.

Clear felling means that all the trees in a defined area are removed simultaneously, and reforested trees do not grow under shelter trees or are only protected by a tree stand from one side.

In the shelterwood system the tree stands are evenly thinned in order to facilitate self-seeding caused by gravity on the entire harvested area, and the reforested trees grow under the shelter trees.

Patch felling means that a tree stand is removed or thinned in patches in order to introduce dominant and additional species timely before the final felling, in order to use shelter trees to protect the species introduced on the patch area.

Selection cutting system consists in using various types of reforestation cuts in a tree stand on the same harvested area and creating the centres of reforestation, which are then widened by felling on the edges over a long period of time which leads to an uneven, prolonged tree stand thinning. These silvicultural systems result in mixed uneven-aged tree stands with complex spatial structure.

Continuous cover silviculture consists of conducting continuous cuts on the entire area of the tree stand. In continuous cover silviculture the felling of mature trees is realised simultaneously with initiating and supporting the reforestation process as well as selecting the trees, regulating the tree stand structure and performing sanitary felling.