Kellerwald mixed beech stand · plot cluster 4 · 2021–2026
Five years of vertical structure recording in an unmanaged beech-oak stand: canopy closure, epiphyte cover, regeneration density and standing deadwood, layer by layer.
The closed upper layer, dominated by mature beech with scattered oak emergents. Closure was measured by hemispherical photography each July; it has stayed above 88% except in the two gaps opened by the 2023 storm.
Suppressed trees waiting on a gap. Most stems here are decades old and under 20 cm diameter. This layer carries the heaviest epiphyte load — bark stays damp longer than in the crown.
Regeneration and browse pressure meet here. Seedling counts fell sharply between 2022 and 2024, then recovered inside the fenced exclosures — the clearest deer signal in the whole dataset.
Spring geophytes complete their cycle before the canopy closes in late April. Cover is recorded twice a season, once at peak vernal flowering and once in high summer shade.
Litter depth, moss cover and coarse woody debris. Standing and fallen deadwood is mapped individually and assigned a decay class from 1 to 5; volume has climbed steadily since management stopped in 2009.
Last survey round completed June 2026
| Plot | Aspect | Canopy height | Closure | Deadwood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K4-01 | NE | 36.2 m | 94% | 41 m³/ha |
| K4-02 | NE | 35.1 m | 91% | 38 m³/ha |
| K4-05 | E | 33.8 m | 88% | 52 m³/ha |
| K4-09 | S | 29.4 m | 74% | 67 m³/ha |
| K4-12 | SW | 31.0 m | 83% | 44 m³/ha |
| K4-17 | W | 34.9 m | 90% | 36 m³/ha |