New variant of the wind damage risk model for forest stands

The paper presents a new variant of the wind damage risk model for forest stands in view of its application in the forests under private ownership. It was based on the following characteristics: average height, age and slenderness of the main tree species, stand density index, species composition, forest habitat type, as well as stand location in the region of the country and the volume of windbreaks, windfalls and deadwood in previous years. The latter characteristic in the new model variant is generated by the stand damage model. The new wind damage risk model variant determines the risk factor for individual stands ranging from 0 to 3. A higher value of the factor indicates a higher wind damage risk for the stand. The verification of the model was performed using the forest data from two counties (powiat) situated in the Podkarpackie Province. The wind damage risk factors obtained from the model are shown on numerical maps.