Occurrence of rusty soils in forest areas managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding in the light of data from the Forest Data Bank

Proper recognition of forest habitat types is the basis of forest management. The forest habitat type contains a synthesis of connections between site conditions and vegetation, considered in terms of social, natural, and economic requirements for forestry. Soil, as one of the site elements, is naturally of interest to forest typology. Data on the diversity of forest habitat types, including soils, have been collected for years in the Forest Data Bank - an online platform providing information on forest management. The study aimed to describe the current state of knowledge about the distribution of rusty soils in forest lands managed by the State Forests National Forest Holding. The analysis included all forest districts, i.e. 694 674 records in which the rusty soil was described. The collected data indicate that rusty soils occupy about 50% of the area managed by the State Forests. Therefore, the type of rusty soil is of key importance for forest management. The results indicate also that rusty podzolic soils are the dominant subtype (42.8% of all rusty soils). Moreover, an important element is the high contribution of post-arable rusty soils. In terms of forest habitat types, rusty soils occur mainly in lowland habitats in the types of mesic mixed coniferous forest (38.3%), mesic mixed forest (29.4%), and mesic coniferous forest (25.7%). The rusty soils covered with forests are dominated by sandur sands formations (44.9% of all geological formations distinguished among rusty soils).

Automated summary

Proper recognition of forest habitat types, which includes consideration of soil as an important element, is crucial for forest management. The study revealed that rusty soils cover about 50% of forest lands managed by the State Forests. The type of rusty soil plays a key role in forest management.