Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria

Introduction. In Poland a big game populations are increasing they number. Game animals are, mostly live in forest, which is, at the same time, they food base. Blaze of thickets is one of the ways of food intake by deer, it is a damage on trees, especially in winter. The damage on tree can occur as one-sided damage to the bark and the phloem, as well as extensively covering the entire circumference of the trunk. Cyclical damage may inhibit the growth of trees and large losses of their biomass. The aim of the research was to determine the effects of blaze of thickets on the dimensions such as: diametre at the base of the tree and at the height of 0.5 m and on the dbh, the size of annual height increments and the height of the entire tree in Scots pine young stands.

Material and methods. The measurement material was collected in a seven-year-old Scots pine stand in the Syców Forest District of the Czermin Forest District. Both damaged and undamaged pine trees were measured.

Results and conclusions. On the basis of the measurements, it was found that the damage made by blazing of thickets had a significant impact on the decrease in the height increment of pine trees a year after the occurrence of the damage.