Important Woody Species in Poodří Floodplains (Czech Republic)

The aim of this paper is to describe the species biodiversity of important woody species in the riparian zone of wide floodplains in the Protected Landscape Area (PLA) Poodří (Central Europe, Czech Republic). The analysis of growth in terms of particular species was carried out to find out their growth potential. Another task was to evaluate the diversity and health condition of all trees and to determine the occurrence frequency of important woody species (IWS) in particular geobiocoene type groups of wide alluvial plains. The tree classification pyramid (veteran-representative-successor-expectant) was built up to provide the sufficient number of diverse IWS in the area. In total, 3,419 IWS were mapped in the whole area of the PLA Poodří (81.5 km²). In wide alluvial plains, the Ulmi-fraxineta carpini sup. geobiocoene type group (GTG) shows the highest diversity. According to the surveys carried out in the area under investigation it is evident that there are a lot of IWS here deserving protection and the proposal of the appropriate management, which should be represented by the pyramid mentioned above. The pyramid would provide protection and care for the registered trees to reach a respectable age and maximum dimensions. It is necessary to preserve the species spectrum of the IWS to maintain the gene pool of initial populations and biodiversity in landscape. Some species exceed growth parameters of the same species at other floodplain sites in the Czech Republic and even in Europe.