Growth traits of natural regeneration of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) in south-eastern Poland

Abstract In recent years, particular attention has been paid to enhancing the meaning of natural regeneration, which is a part of the implementation of the concept of sustainable development and is one of the pillars of the natural direction of forest silviculture. Since the middle of the last century, the contribution of natural regeneration in Poland has been steadily increasing. The paper presents the analysis of density and variability of growth traits of natural regeneration of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) in south-eastern Poland. The study involved four compartments, which were prepared with the use of tiller and plough (active and double mouldboard). Density of seedlings, their height and root collar diameter, were measured. Density and growth characteristics of seedlings were higher at the tiller area and furrow compared with nonscarified soil and ridge. The highest cover with herbaceous plant was reported in ridges and non-scarified soil, but in most of the analysed compartments, it had no effect on the density of seedlings. It was found that different methods for soil preparation create different conditions for germination of seeds, which is reflected in the number of seedlings and its growth traits.