Excursion program - LIFEGENMON Conference

Excursion to the Virgin Forest Reserves Rajhenavski Rog, Krakovo forest, and the Forest Genetic Monitoring plot Pri Studencu

On the 23rd of September, the second day of the conference, you are welcomed to join the excursion to The virgin forest Rajhenavski Rog, the beech forest genetic monitoring plot Pri Studencu, Krakovo forest and (if registered on-site participants are numerous) Kamenski vrh (TBD).

The bus will depart at 8:00 AM (CET) from the parking lot at the Biotechnical Faculty.

A drive to Rajhenavski Rog will take app. 1.5 hours, and the visit to the research site another 2 hours, followed by a snack in the bus.

A drive to the FGM plot Pri studencu will take app. 1 hour, and the visit to the monitoring site another 2 hours; lunch packet in the bus.

A drive to Krakovski gozd will take app. 1 hour, and the visit to the monitoring site(s) another 2 hours.

Please, do not forget your hiking shoes!

A local dinner will be served at Gostilna Žolnir or Forma Viva in Kostanjevica na Krki, a small town in the historic Lower Carniola region of southern Slovenia.

Returning to Ljubljana shall take app. 1,5 hours, late in the evening (after 10 pm).

Description of the Forest Genetic Monitoring plot Pri Studencu.

The beech forest genetic monitoring plot Pri studencu is located within the cca. 100 ha big forest seed object. The altitude of the seed object is ranging from 430 to 650 m a.s.l., the ground rock material is limestone and the soil is Eutric Cambisols. According to the European forest type classification, the forest is classified as Illyrian submountainous beech forest. The main species is Fagus sylvatica (68%), mixed with Picea abies (20,4%), Abies alba (4,4%) and other species. Within forest genetic monitoring plot (1ha) Fagus sylvatica covers almost all area (97,7%), Picea abies is present on 1,9% and Prunus avium on 0,5% of the area. The age of a forest is 80 – 100 years.

Vegetation: uniform thin beech trunk, well rejuvenated, young 5-10 years old

Forest community: beech forest

Source: Indigenous

Nmv: surface 490 – 510 m, stand 410 – 640 m

Geological basis: limestone

Floor type: Deep brown carbonate soil

Slope: approx. 8.5 °

Exposure to NNE

The virgin forest Rajhenavavski Rog

SFI research plots, in particular the Rajhenavski Rog forest, represent an important source of information on processes and changes in forest soils. On the above-mentioned plots we continuously monitor the parameters of the dynamics of the development and decay of the roots, the growth of the mycelium of fungi in the soil and the dynamics of degradation of the plant detritus, in order to study the processes in the soil, the anthropogenic and environmental influences on them, for the needs of analyzes of carbon cycling in forest ecosystems and modeling in several mathematical models that simulate the effects of forest soils.

Krakovo forest

Krakovo forest is included within a strict reserve (IUCN 1) extending on cca. 40 ha at an altitude around 150 m a.s.l. The ground rock material is aleurolite and the soil is Planosol / Stagnosol. According to the European forest type classification, the forest is classified as “Pedunculate oak-hornbeam forest”. Based on a survey carried out in 2015, the main tree species is Quercus robur (78,9%) mixed with Carpinus betulus (16,6%), Alnus glutinosa (3,8%) and other species. The forest is uneven-aged, with trees of all ages.