Three hundred years of spatio-temporal development in a primary mountain Norway spruce stand in the Bohemian Forest, central Europe

Our study provides evidence of a mixed historical disturbance regime including large-scale infrequent moderate intensity disturbance combined with frequent low severity events. These disturbances created large-scale synchronous periods of recruitment and canopy accession. The resulting developmental model indicates a complex spatio-temporal pattern of tree death and establishment across a large range of patch sizes. For ecologically based management systems we suggest the application of mixed harvest intensities at different spatial and temporal scales to better replicate natural disturbance patterns and associated legacies.