Size condition of shrub species in a Hungarian oak forest in 2022

The oak decline experienced in recent decades resulted in structural changes of the shrub community. The goal of this research was to determine the size condition on high shrubs (> 1.0 m in height) and to compare the average parameters of species in each sample site in 2022. The following measurements were performed in four plots: height, shoot diameter, and foliage cover. 6–9 native high shrub species were observed in the understory plots. The mean height and shoot diameter distribution of high shrubs varied between 1.22 and 10.18 m and between 0.84 and 11.88 cm respectively. The mean foliage cover of high shrub species changed between 0.11 and 15.26 m2 in the vegetation period. One-way ANOVA indicated a non-significant difference (p > 0.05) among high shrub species’ size conditions on sample plots. Our results suggest that the size characteristics of the shrubs were similar on the plots, and it is worth investigating the relationship between shoot height and shoot diameter in more detail.