Catastrophic aging of spruce forests is occurring in the Carpathians as a result of excessive logging in the 1950s

The volumes of damaged forest plantations in Transcarpathia for many years have remained at roughly the same level with minor deviations. Those are firstly, various forest diseases (57%), secondly – damage by windbreaks (28%), thirdly – forest pests (15%).

In recent years, in the Carpathians there has been mass drying of spruce plantations, both derivatives and indigenous. According to the conclusion of the Carpathian Forest Research Station, the main causes of withering are high infection rate in the derivative spruce forests in the second to third generation, faster biological aging in comparison with the indigenous forests, as well as reduced resistance to adverse climatic factors, in particular, drought.

In addition, catastrophic aging of spruce trees in the Carpathians is occurring as a result of excessive logging in the1950s. Back then, 2 to 3 cleared cuttings were made every year, and spruce monocultures were created in cleared areas.
Now these plantations are reaching the age of maturity, after which their degradation starts.