Vascular flora of urban forests in a medium-sized city in Poland: comparison with nature reserves in the city’s surrounding

Urban forests are basic elements in the ecological structure of cities. The dendroflora and herb species of oak-hornbeam forests in a medium-sized city type was studied and compared with nature reserves located outside the city, based on phytosociological analysis using the Braun-Blanquet percentage-of-cover scale. More inconsistent trees and shrubs occurred in the urban forests and some tree species showed poor renewal. The herb plant species have become more frequent in nature reserves, but we were not able to detect significant differences regarding species inconsistent with the habitat. Herb plants in urban forests preferred more light and fertile habitats. Myrmecochory was the most common seed dispersal. Nowadays, the conservation of urban biota is of great importance and more sustainable approaches towards management of nature are needed. To implement such approaches, results of studies focused on ecology of urban forests may serve as an important tool.