Magdaléna Pichlerová

The link between subjective well-being (SWB) and forest visits is increasingly driving the development and preservation of restorative forest environments in numerous countries. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the effect of people's preferences for forest patterns and activities on this connection. Here we investigated whether associations exist between the preferences for certain forest features and activities, and the SWB increase and stress reduction in response to forest visits. A nationwide digital survey was administered to a representative sample of the Slovak population. The recollection-based data obtained from one thousand respondents were analysed through agglomerative clustering and ordinal regression. The analyses revealed that improved SWB and stress reduction were associated with preferences for uneven-aged forests, forest smell, as well as recreational, but not provisioning forest activities. The respective interrelationships explained up to 20% of SWB increase and stress reduction after forest visits. The results suggest that recollection-based study findings can be generalized for real-world forests and that forest management can contribute to the well-being of forest visitors by shaping the diversity of woodlands and their sensory experiences.

Public expectations of forests as high-quality restorative environments that facilitate subjective well-being and stress relief along with numerous health benefits have been rising sharply during recent decades. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictive measures also transformed forests into some of the few places to spend time away from home. The presented study drew on the assumption that the pandemic situation and a rise in the number of forest visits would affect the experience, recognition, and appreciation of the well-being aspects related to spending time in forests. The study goal was to elucidate the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the relationships between forest visits, well-being and stress relief, emotions, perception of nature and forest value and importance, pro-environmental behavior, and societal expectations of the role of forests and forest ecosystem services. A survey using a digital questionnaire was conducted several months after the pandemic outbreak on a representative sample of the Slovak population. The Wilcoxon test and ordinal regression analysis were used to identify significant relationships, e.g., between the recency of anger episodes and the number of forest visits. The results showed that the pandemic strengthened the perception of forests as a high-quality restorative environment and that emotions associated with forest visits played an important role in the perceived importance of forests and their possible overexploitation. The results underscore the urgent need to put demands for forest recreation on par with the forest bioeconomy and to sensitize forest visitors to management and conservation requirements.

The research presented herein explores soil organic carbon concentration (SOCC) under monodominant primeval forests of European beech trees and their association with parent material on a regional scale. Soil sampling to a maximum depth of 0.8 m was conducted in six localities in the West, East, and South Carpathians, Eastern Albanides, and Central Apennines, situated on different parent materials. Samples were analysed for SOCC by the dry combustion method. The average SOCC values representing individual localities ranged from 12.5 g kg⁻¹ to 154.8 g kg⁻¹ with a 99.7% coefficient of variation. SOCC association with climatic variables and forest stand volume data available from the literature were assessed by a Pearson correlation coefficient. Differences in SOCC among localities caused by site conditions were treated as a fixed factor in Welch’s ANOVA and found to be significant (p < 0.05) in the majority of cases. The associations between SOCC and climatic variables or stand volume were nonsignificant or perturbed. Since they validly explained less than 10% of the overall SOCC variance, the results of multiple comparison tests were assessed and interpreted in view of distinct parent materials.

In view of the prevailing preferences for health and recreation revealed by previous studies as the main expected benefits of forest visits, the research presented herein focuses on whether such expectations would translate into a significant increase in the number of forest visits (NFV) following pandemic outbreaks. In this context, a Slovak nationwide survey on forests was conducted, with the main objective of casting light on possible changes in NFV as a coping mechanism or behavioral response to the discomfort and severe restrictions stemming from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the related measures. The survey was administered on a statistically representative sample after the pandemic’s first wave ebbed and restrictions were eased in the summer months of 2020. Collected data were assessed using ANOVA, the results of which supported the importance of forests as places providing opportunities for restoration of mental and physical resources. Forest accessibility as represented by forest coverage and settlement size emerged as a paramount factor affecting NFV rates both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and its accompanying measures affected the relationships between NFV and average per capita income, type of employment, and most importantly age, highlighting possible vulnerabilities and disadvantages in certain population segments.

There is a need for societal transformation towards bioeconomy, which promotes the replacement of non-renewable natural resources with renewable ones. Slovakia has considerable potential for bioeconomy development, yet this potential remains untapped. This article evaluates the public perception regarding the individual properties of renewable and non-renewable materials and their relation to the potential for bioeconomy development in Slovakia. It is found that Slovak consumers prefer natural renewable materials, regardless of other influencing factors, and realise the need for transformation towards a more sustainable economy.

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is involved in important forest ecosystem functions and processes, e.g., habitat provision, water retention, and organic matter decomposition. However, a quantitative, CWD...

Deadwood moisture affects multiple functions of downed logs in forest ecosystems. They include provision of habitats for xylobionts, additional water stores and organic carbon stocks. In contrast to Northern American forests, little is known about moisture variability in downed logs of important tree species within the Temperate Zone of Europe. Therefore, our study aimed at elucidating this variability according to species, site and decay class (DC). Measurements were taken by TDR during two vegetation periods in eight Carpathian natural forests representing distinct site conditions, ranging from xerothermophilous to subalpine. Downed logs ofQuercusspp.,Abies albaMill.,Fagus sylvaticaL., andPicea abiesL., belonging to various DCs, were selected and instrumented with TDR probes. Species and DC‐specific TDR calibration showed the importance of intrinsic wood porosity. The course of deadwood moisture consisted of drying during the early decay stage, except forA. albaandF. sylvatica, and an intense water reabsorption at later decay stages. Average moisture for all species and sites displayed seasonal trends, reflecting the occurrence of precipitation clusters and dry periods, as well as short‐term fluctuations. Cross‐spectral analysis revealed that both sapwood and heartwood participated in wetting and drying processes, but only after reaching an advanced stage of decay. New findings can be applied in interpreting, modelling and predicting deadwood water stores, habitat properties and respiration. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.