Development of Forest Tree Species Composition: Selected Results of the National Forest Inventory of Lithuania

Forest development forms the foundation for the advancement of sustainable forest management that integrates the knowledge of natural and anthropogenic processes with ecological and biological insights. This study aims to emphasize the role of assisted natural regeneration and balanced forest development phases in fostering closer-to-nature management approaches, contributing to resilient forest ecosystems capable of self-regulation and biodiversity support in the face of anthropogenic and climatic challenges. This study focuses on forest development in Lithuania based on five National Forest Inventories (NFIs) from 2002 to 2022. We examine the tree volume structure of the growing stock by stand type and forest type series from the point of view of stand age and forest development phases. This is performed by applying the standardized methodologies of the Lithuanian National Forest Inventory. Our analysis focuses on broader patterns derived from the selected NFI data rather than stand-level details. Our findings demonstrate that long-term observation of dynamic National Forest Inventories can aid in the development of closer-to-nature forest management methods for different forest type series. In order to implement the European Union's strategy and policy for closer-to-nature forest management, we call for the use of "assisted succession" methods in commercial forests, promoting the formation of mixed-species forest stands with multi-cohort age profiles, including old-growth all-aged forest patches of >121 years.