Understanding of Forest Cover Dynamics in Traditional Landscapes: Mapping Trajectories of Changes in Mountain Territories (1824–2016), on the Example of Jeleniogórska Basin, Poland

Abstract

Though on a global scale, for ecological reasons, increased forest cover is universally regarded as positive, on a local scale, the reforestation of arable land may pose threats to cultural landscapes by removing characteristic landscape features. Particularly vulnerable are marginal rural areas, e.g., mountain regions, where most traditional land use systems have survived and which are subject to the most spectacular land use change. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the issue of the management of forest cover in historical cultural landscapes in mountain territories in Poland within the context of widespread land use change in Eastern Europe. Land cover data were obtained from historical and contemporary aerial photographs, as well as topographic maps from five time points between 1824 and 2016. The study was conducted by means of spatio-temporal forest cover trajectory analysis (LCTA), transition and time–depth analysis, and land cover change calculations that were made by means of ArcGIS. Our research indicates that the rate of change has risen considerably in the last two decades, and the current share of forest cover is much bigger than that reflected in the official data. Eight principal forest cover trajectory types were identified. The biggest area is occupied by woodland of long-term stability. Another large group is constituted by forests created on the basis of arable land and grassland as a result of simple conversion at one point in time, mainly in the years 1824–1886 and 1939–1994. At the same time, a sizeable group is made up by areas that have been subject to unplanned cyclical or dynamic changes during various periods. A very important group is comprised new forests that were created in 1994–2016, predominantly as a result of natural succession, that are often not included in official land classifications. The constant expansion of woodlands has led to a shrinking of historical former coppice woodlands. This indicates that the current landscape management mechanisms in Poland are inadequate for protecting the cultural landscape. The barriers include the lack of intersectoral cooperation and the overlooking of the historical context of landscapes. The present situation calls not only for verification of the existing forest policy but also for increasing the role and engagement of local communities, as well as making comprehensive local development plans, all of which may be helped by the findings of our study and of similar research.

Progress in Grassland Cover Conservation in Southern European Mountains by 2020: A Transboundary Assessment in the Iberian Peninsula with Satellite Observations (2002–2019)

“…Decline was the prevalent pattern between 2002 and 2019 in the study area, lowlands, mountains, mountains protected and unprotected extents. The results are congruent with the trajectory of decline documented in the European mountains since the 1960s [11,43,44], in the neighbourhoods [45], the set of studies close to the 2020 target year [14][15][16][17], and in the study area between 2000-2010 by Regos et al [13]. Over in the area corresponding to our mountain and mountain protected extents, Regos et al [13] found a decline of 33.8% and 43.1% in grassland cover respectively, using mapped area estimates (not corrected for classification errors).…”

“…The extent of seminatural grasslands in 2015 was 49.1% less compared to 1960 due to conversion into arable land and forests [14]. Jaworek-Jakubska et al [16] in the Polish mountains indicated a 10.4% decline of grasslands between 2000-2016 in favor of forests. In contrast, a remarkable increase of managed grasslands was found between 1999-2015 (+39%) in the Carpathians [15].…”

“…Surprisingly, very few comprised a period of analysis close enough to the international target year of 2020 (e.g., 2015-2020). The current understanding of progress made by 2020 relies on a handful of studies [14][15][16][17], with most focused on major mountain regions (e.g., Carpathians, Apennines), with smaller ranges (e.g., northwestern Iberian mountains) less considered. A lag in time and space seems to exist between scientific and policy agendas.…”

There Used to Be a River Ferry: Identifying and Analyzing Localities by Means of Old Topographic Maps

“…In Europe, old military topographic maps were of particular use since the mid-18th century; from the 19th century onwards, they achieved a relatively solid positional accuracy by applying triangulation methods [15][16][17][18]. These maps are employed in a wide range of activities within landscape ecology, such as research into long-term changes in landscape use [19][20][21][22][23], alternatively, a part of them focus on specific types of landscape use, e.g., vineyards [24,25], forests [26,27], former water bodies [28][29][30], and certain characteristics of landscapes [31,32], expressing the knowledge that landscape representation was adapted to meet operational demands and to address the lessons learned from war experiences [33]. Old topographic maps have also found application in other fields and subsectors of science, including, but not limited, to assessing geomorphological processes and climate changes by monitoring the extent of mountain glaciers [34], estimating the impact of transport on land use [35], and combining spatial planning and population behavior in relation to transport safety [36].…”

The Strong Position of Silver Fir (Abies alba Mill.) in Fertile Variants of Beech and Oak-Hornbeam Forests in the Light of Studies Conducted in the Sudetes

“…Firs grow here satisfactorily at sites with different exposure, representing a broad spectrum of vegetation communities and forest habitat types [30,31]. The Sudeten fir woods, significantly reduced (by 70%-80%) as a result of intensive forest management in the 19th c. and the first half of the 20th c. (promoting spruce monocultures) e.g., [25,[38][39][40], in the years 1960-1990 were subject to the strong pressure of industrial pollution, especially SO 2 , whose average concentration in many locations exceeded 60 µg/m 3 , and periodically even 190 µg/m 3 e.g., [25,38,39,41]. These conditions, in combination with commercial activities that failed to account for fir's specific requirements, led to a situation in which its share in the forest composition was markedly lower than the initial 1% level [25].…”