Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria

Introduction. Fungi are found in all environments and play an important role in the life of other organisms and ecosystems. Since fungi mainly use the resources of dead wood, their role in forest ecosystems is unquestionable. It is important to ensure an amount that guarantees the necessary diversity of decomposers, which is 50-200 m³ / ha, depending on the type of forest. In the case of catastrophic events, such as a hurricane, damage to the stand occurs in the form of broken, torn or cracked trees and branches. The exposed wood of dead trees remains exposed for a long time, e.g. against fungal spores. The aim of the presented study was to investigate the species diversity of fungi occurring on wood in the post-hurricane stands of the Gniezno Forest District after the forest area was cleared of windbreaks and windfalls.

Material and methods. The research areas were selected from among the stands in the Gniezno Forest District, where, as a result of the hurricane of August 2017, 2.2 thousand were damaged. hectares of forests to a complete extent, as a result of which these areas had to be cleared with complete felling. In selected stands in September and October 2019, parallel transects were determined, where the fruiting bodies of fungi on stumps, lagoons and standing trees were marked and counted.

Results and conclusions. The research showed little species diversity among the forest fungi. The presence of 15 species of fungi on wood was found. The control plots were characterized by greater diversity, a total of 33 species were found. The smaller number of fungal species on the post-hurricane plots as compared to the control plots may indicate insufficient access to deadwood fungi and the high competitiveness of the species found here. The method of dealing with post-hurricane forest surfaces, which consists in not leaving dead wood, contributes to limiting the biological diversity of fungi. Dead wood is an essential element in maintaining the ecological balance.