EN
The aim of the study was to assess the changes occurring in the forests of the Kłodzko Region in the recent period (2001−2017), with particular emphasis on the species composition of the stands, their share in age classes and the structure of harvested timber, including live trees, deadwood, wind−broken and wind−fallen trees. The Kłodzko Region located in the Sudety Mountains (SW Poland) covers the forests of four forest districts: Lądek−Zdrój, Międzylesie, Bystrzyca Kłodzka and Zdroje. The declining share of spruce stands (from 83.5% in 2001 to 75.5% in 2017) and the increasing share of beech and larch as well as sycamore stands indicate that these forests are systematically rebuilt. The average age of the stands is very high (81 years). The share of young (<20 years old ) stands is low (only 5%), while those older than 100 years constitute about 35%. The 21st century saw a serious damage to the investigated forests caused by frequent strong winds and long−lasting droughts in the growing seasons. The three hurricanes that took place in the analysed period were the cause of the removal of 1.1 million m³ of timber in the form of wind−broken and wind−fallen trees. The drought in the growing season in 2015 resulted in the salvage harvest of deadwood with a total volume of 1.6 million m³, which corresponds to the volume of four annual allowable cuts determined for the undisturbed growth conditions of trees in the area under research. Using the wind damage risk model, the threat measure Ms reaching a value of above 40 was calculated for the forests of the Kłodzko Region, which are currently among the most threatened in Poland. This threat results mainly from the high share of spruce stands in older age classes with high average height and gaps after previous hurricanes as well as from a large area of stands located at high elevations.