Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of endoeutric cambisols, developed from Magura sandstones and schists of Carpathian flysch under the Carpathian lime tree forest Tilio-Carpinetum typicum of a fertile variant (T-C_f) and a poor variant (T-C_p), and the Carpathian beech forest of a typical variant Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum typicum (Dg-F_t) and a fertile variant Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum lunarieto-sum (Dg-F_l). Soil samples from humus horizons in 10 replications and one cumulative sample from each of deeper horizons were collected from soil of each plant community. Such soil properties as pH in H₂O and 1 M KCl, mechanical composition, sorption prop-erties, org. C, total N, available P, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and Na, as well as the activi-ties of dehydrogenases, phosphatases, invertase, urease, protease, and cellulases were compared. The distributions of values of investigated properties were compared by using Tukey’s test. Uniformed tendency in properties of humus horizons of the investigated for-est communities was not confirmed. While the decrease in abundance of available phos-phorus and organic matter (per 1 ha), as well as in activity of dehydrogenases, proteases and urease (in terms of soil volume in a profile of 1 dm² × 1 m), along with impoverish-ment of plant communities, were noted arranging investigated forests in the following se-quence: T-C_f > Dg-F_l > T-C_p > Dg-F_t. The study results permitted to conclude that the lime tree forest has a more favourable effect on soil quality than the beech forest.