Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Leona Vlasáková Author-Workplace-Name: Air Quality Division, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Radek Novotný Author-Workplace-Name: Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Nina Benešová Author-Workplace-Name: Air Quality Division, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Vít Šrámek Author-Workplace-Name: Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Václav Buriánek Author-Workplace-Name: Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Ozone phytotoxicity in the Czech Republic: Insights from exposure- and flux-based metrics and visible foliar injury in European beech and Norway spruce Abstract: This study evaluated the phytotoxic potential of ground-level ozone (O3) on native forest tree species at eight intensive forest monitoring plots in the Czech Republic. O3 risk was assessed using the exposure-based AOT40F (accumulated O3 concentration above 40 ppb for forest protection) and the flux-based POD1 (phytotoxic ozone dose above a flux threshold of 1 nmol O3 m-2⋅s-1 per leaf area) indices, together with data on visible foliar O3 injury. The analysis was based on data from the 2021-2023 vegetation seasons. AOT40F exceeded the critical level of 5 ppm.h at all plots. The critical levels of POD1 (5.2 mmol.m-2 for Fagus sylvatica and 9.2 mmol.m-2 for Picea abies) were exceeded at all sites in all seasons, except for one plot in 2022. Exceedance of POD1 generally occurred earlier than that of AOT40F for F. sylvatica, while for P. abies it occurred later in the season. POD1 showed a significant positive relationship with altitude, but AOT40F did not. Air temperature, soil moisture, and the O3 concentration were identified as the main predictors of stomatal O3 flux. Visible O3 injury was absent in P. abies and limited in F. sylvatica, with a weak relationship to the O3 metrics. The results emphasise the greater relevance of flux-based approaches for O3 risk assessment and indicate that visible foliar O3 injury alone provides only a limited indicator of O3 impacts under Czech conditions. Keywords: AOT40, ground-level ozone, critical level, O3 injury, phytotoxic ozone dose Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 213-235 Volume: 72 Issue: 5 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/24/2026-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/24/2026-JFS.html File-Format: text/html File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/24/2026-JFS.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202605-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:72:y:2026:i:5:id:24-2026-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Klára Báliková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Name: Marek Trenčiansky Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Name: Ján Bahýľ Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Resource Planning and Informatics, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Name: Martina Štěrbová Author-Workplace-Name: National Forest Centre Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia Author-Name: Jaroslav Šálka Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia Title: Analysing economic factors and forest cover impacts on water resource management: A comparative study of seven Slovak reservoirs Abstract: Water reservoirs (WR), as a key source of drinking water in Slovakia, face increasing challenges due to environmental pressures, economic aspects and technological limitations related to water collection and treatment. The aim of the study was to analyse and compare the economic external factors of seven major Slovak drinking water reservoirs (Málinec, Truček, Nová Bystrica, Hriňová, Klenovec, Starina, and Bukovec). The results of the study evaluated the following economic factors: (i) drinking water supply, (ii) drinking water demand, and (iii) average annual costs for drinking water treatment and purification. The last-mentioned was studied in more detail to investigate how the catchment's forest cover affects annual water treatment costs. The analysis of economic factors showed that smaller reservoirs with a lower technical base, such as Hriňová and Turček, are more sensitive to seasonal and ecological fluctuations, leading to greater cost variability and more negative management effects. In contrast, large reservoirs such as Starina and Nová Bystrica exhibit greater stability and resilience to these impacts, and economic factors positively influence water resources management. The study also demonstrates that the catchment's forest cover and reservoir volume significantly contribute to lower drinking water treatment costs in Slovakia. These findings highlight the economic relevance of forested catchments for drinking water supply and underline the importance of integrating forest management considerations into water resource management. Keywords: drinking water treatment costs, forest ecosystem services, Slovakia, water reservoirs Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 246-255 Volume: 72 Issue: 5 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/33/2026-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/33/2026-JFS.html File-Format: text/html File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/33/2026-JFS.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202605-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:72:y:2026:i:5:id:33-2026-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Kateřina Holušová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Forest and Wood Product Economics and Policy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Science and Natural Resources, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jana Stachová Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Local and Regional Studies, Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Eva Abramuszkinová Pavlíková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Engineering, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Pavel Fic Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Science and Natural Resources, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Otakar Holuša Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Environmental Science and Natural Resources, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Title: Public communication in forestry: A focus on church property owners and entities in the Czech Republic Abstract: This study evaluates the approach to public communication within economic entities managing ecclesiastical forest properties. Following the extensive property restitutions in the Czech Republic after 2012, forests owned by the church and religious societies now account for more than 5% of the country's total forest area. The communication practices of these entities were assessed through a questionnaire survey of 221 respondents (comprising forest visitors as part of a general sample), nine in-depth interviews with employees, and, in addition, a detailed analysis of communication methods used by five selected forestry subjects. The results indicate that the general public does not expect a specialised communication approach despite the ecclesiastical nature of the property. Furthermore, foresters themselves do not perceive the need for a specific philosophy or approach based on church principles in their professional activities. No specialised communication strategies exist for church-owned forest properties, and employees are neither familiar with nor utilise Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical, Laudato si'. Keywords: communication strategy, ecclesiastical forestry, Laudato si', property restitution, public perception, stakeholders Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 256-268 Volume: 72 Issue: 5 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/34/2026-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/34/2026-JFS.html File-Format: text/html File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/34/2026-JFS.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202605-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:72:y:2026:i:5:id:34-2026-JFS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Michal Bledý Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Colloredo-Mannsfeld spol. s r. o., Zbiroh, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jan Budínský Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Zdeněk Vacek Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Stanislav Vacek Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Václav Šimůnek Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jakub Černý Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Jíloviště, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Jan Cukor Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Jíloviště, Czech Republic Author-Name: Václav Trojan Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Josef Gallo Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Author-Name: Pavel Rus Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic Title: Drivers of silver fir regeneration success: Interactions between site conditions, game browsing and close-to-nature forest management Abstract: Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is an ecologically and silviculturally important tree species in Central European forests due to its high production potential and increasing relevance under ongoing climate change. Therefore, its regeneration and promotion are of key importance for both ecosystem functioning and sustainable forest management. This study evaluates the potential of natural (four localities) and artificial (ten localities) regeneration of silver fir under close-to-nature silviculture across two natural forest areas (Křivoklátsko and Český kras; Brdská vrchovina) at altitudes of 362-570 m a.s.l. in Czechia. The objective was to assess the growth potential of fir regeneration across six contrasting site type categories on 62 research plots: acidic (3K, 4K), nutrient-rich (3B), loamy (3H), nutrient-medium (3S), gleyed nutrient-medium (4O) and gleyed acidic (4P) categories; and to quantify game browsing damage. The highest natural regeneration density was recorded on 4O sites, reaching on average 182 800 pcs.ha-1, while the lowest density was observed on 4P (25 600 pcs.ha-1). Compared to the overstory composition, regeneration layers showed a marked increase in the proportion of silver fir. In contrast, the highest annual height increment of natural regeneration was found on 4P (10.6 cm), significantly exceeding that on 3S (2.1 cm). Browsing damage ranged from 11.0% (3S) to 19.2% (4O). In terms of artificial regeneration, the highest annual height increment was recorded at site type 3H (38.4 cm), whereas the lowest was observed at site type 3B (15.2 cm). Our results show that fir regeneration is mainly driven by site conditions and ungulate browsing, providing a basis for targeted silvicultural and game management to support its long-term persistence. Keywords: Abies alba Mill., forest vegetation zones 3-, 4, natural regeneration, site typology, ungulate pressure Journal: Journal of Forest Science Pages: 236-245 Volume: 72 Issue: 5 Year: 2026 DOI: 10.17221/36/2026-JFS File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/36/2026-JFS.html File-Format: text/html File-URL: http://jfs.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/36/2026-JFS.pdf File-Format: Application/pdf X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/jfs-202605-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnljfs:v:72:y:2026:i:5:id:36-2026-JFS