Historical Changes in Urban and Peri-Urban Forests: Evidence from the Galați Area, Romania

Abstract

In Romania, urban and peri-urban forests (UPUF) have been subject to significant transformations during the past centuries, especially during the post-communist period. The current paper seeks to provide an integrated assessment of UPUF in one of the most dynamic and densely populated urban areas in Romania, i.e., Galați, in terms of historical overview, forest structure and dynamics, and conservation of forest ecosystems, and the way all these aspects are reflected in the toponymy. The analysis covers three main time intervals: (1) until the 20th century, (2) the first half of the 20th century, and (3) the second half of the 20th century through the beginning of the 21st century. For each of the three intervals, complex quantitative spatial and temporal analyses were performed at the level of the Local Administrative Unit (LAU) using in-depth documentation of relevant historical records and geospatial data for selected years (1912, 1948, 1976, 2002, and 2018) derived from cartographic materials and satellite images. Significant changes in the urban and peri-urban forests were evidenced, but the most notable were observed since the 19th century in relation to the new political and socio-economic context, which pushed deforestation processes to support settlement expansion (though urbanization and suburbanization) and agricultural development (intensification and extensification). These processes gradually expanded until the beginning of the 21st century under the socio-economic changes during the communist regime and the post-communist period. Galați area has more than tripled in size, which led to a significant pressure on the forest-covered area, followed by changes in its structure and composition.

Carbon Sequestration Dynamics in Peri-Urban Forests: Comparing Secondary Succession and Mature Stands under Varied Forest Management Practices

“…Despite the traditional focus on wood production, there is a growing interest in quantifying the carbon sequestration capacity of Romanian forests, which are characterised by a wide range of climatic, vegetative and soil conditions due to their extensive altitudinal gradient [33]. Besides, studies on peri-urban forests in Romania quantifying the carbon stock and carbon stock change over time are very scarce, instead focusing on forest structure and diversity [34,35] or historical changes in the forest-covered areas [36]. Additionally, according to the National Forest Inventory [33], around half a million hectares of forest are outside of the national forest area, and peri-urban forests are partially one of them, with significant implications on the national greenhouse gasses inventory report regarding carbon sequestration by different pools [37].…”

Assessment of the Feasibility of Implementing a Flash Flood Early Warning System in a Small Catchment Area

“…All over the world, there is a migration of people to urban agglomerations [19,20]. Previous studies have shown that urbanization is often associated with changes in the layout of urban green spaces [21,22]. Urbanization increases the sealing of existing catchments, which results in, among other things, changes in the dynamics and volume of surface runoff and a reduction in the intensity of groundwater recharge [23][24][25].…”