Approaches and results of the research on long-term forest development in the Czech Republic ERC project „Long-term woodland dynamics in Central Europe:

Approaches and results of the research on long-term forest development

in the Czech Republic

ERC project „Long-term woodland dynamics in Central Europe:

from estimations to a realistic model Radim HédlInstitute of BotanyAcademy of Sciences of the Czech Republic

Why do we want to know historyof the forest?• better understanding of the present state• advice on management decision making• provides a broader perspective to our research

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Topic

Title

WoS: “historical ecology“ 1973–2008

Historical ecology

How can we learn about nature’s past?

archaeobotanypaleoecologygeosciences

historybotany(neo)ecology

fossil:- pollen- macrofossil- charcoal…

archival sources:- written- maps- art…

plants:- species- vegetation- environment…

-10 000 -1000 -100 years

030006000

AD

the present

history

time

ecology

paleoecology

archaeology

BC

fine

coarse

resolution

Subjects and scaling: matter of resolution

Scaling: ecology and history

Szab

ó –

Héd

l, 20

11, C

ons.

Bio

l.

“historical” resources- Not readily usable- Often qualitative

For example:• Urbaria• Perambulations• Estate conscriptions• Account books• Normative directives

“ecological” resources- Readily usable- Mostly quantitative

For example:• Forestry documents • Cadastres• Estate maps

ca. 1800 AD

“Ecological” vs. “historical” resources

The 1800-barrier

older younger

Historical resourcesCoppicing cycles – how often were forests cut

Mikulov estate (S Moravia)

Urbarium from 1384:

“Das holcz, das do get niderhalb des wegs durich die Chlausen, das haist der Lelasch, und ist deselb zeit 2 jar alt gevesen; wann er zw 7 jarn chumpt, so schaczt mann für 36 lb. und 2 lb. ze leitchauff.”

Forest description from 1692:

Forest in the Czech Republiccurrently 34% cover (and increasing)

Altitude: the most obvious large-scale factor

< 400 m n.m.400-800 m n.m.> 800 m n.m.

Lowlands• mostly deforested• since the Neolithic (7ka BP)

Bronze Age

Neolithic

Chernozems

Moravian cadastres

The first record

The historical databaseRecords on forestso far mostly in lowlands

Lowland forests• relatively best knowledge

• up to 400 (500) m of altitude

• European phenomenon

• warmer, usually drier climate

• long-term human inhabitation

• intensively managed

• stable in extent (ancient woodland)

• specific (and threatened) biodiversity

• coppice(Niederwald)

• high forest(Hochwald)

• wood pasture(Hutweide)

Three basic managementforms in the lowland forest

most common in the past

most common in the present

information scarce

Hayley WoodE England

DěvínS Moravia

P. Szabó, 2010, ForEcolManag

1 Increasing forest age in the past centuriesComparison of coppices in Moravia and England

1967

189218641805

2008

1 Increasing forest age in the past centuriesforestry maps, NNR Koda, ca. 460 ha

Orig. J. Müllerová

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1720 1740 1760 1780 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980

year AD

log

ge

d (

ha

)

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05

ma

p

18

92

m

ap

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49

m

ap

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67

ma

p

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64

ma

p

Orig. J. Müllerová

Strong decrease since late 19th century

1 Increasing forest age in the past centuriesforestry maps, NNR Koda, ca. 460 ha

Czech Republic

Pálava PLA

.

J. Altman et al., PLoS ONE, 2013

2 Coppicing history on a small scaleDendrochronology of standardsNNR Děvín, ca. 24 ha

J. Altman et al., PLoS ONE, 2013

2 Coppicing history on a small scaleEvidence 1: Detection of release in tree-rings

Management plan 1925

2 Coppicing history on a small scaleEvidence 2: Years with the last coppicing

J. Altman et al., PLoS ONE, 2013

Almost no recruitmentafter the abandonment of coppicing

2 Coppicing history on a small scaleConsequences: Oak recruitment

Aerial photograph from 1953

5 km

3 Stability and change of an oak forestsubcontinental oakwood on eolic sand Dúbrava, ca. 3000 ha

3 Stability and change of an oak forestEvidence 1: pollen & macrofossil profilesThe forest hollows approach

90 cm12 000 yr

E. Jamrichová et al., The Holocene, 2013

3 Stability and change of an oak forestEvidence 1. pollen & macrofossil profiles Major change in around 1350: Corylus -> Quercus

The founding charter of the Augustinian monastery in Brno, 1370 (an early modern copy)

3 Stability and change of an oak forestEvidence 2: archival written documents Ban on oak felling in around 1350

1350: Klečka („shrubs“)

1370: Dúbrava dicta Klečka

1509: Dúbrava Hodonská

1531: Dúbrava Hodonská + Klečka (for the last time)

since 1609: Dúbrava („oak forest“)

3 Stability and change of an oak forestHow this change was reflected in the forest name?Shift from Klečka to Dúbrava

Samek, V. (1964): Lesní společenstva Českého krasu. Rozpr. ČSAV 74, sešit 7.

Orig. A. Veverková

4 Vegetation change in since the 1950sFrom coppices to high forestPart 1 Bohemian Karst, central Bohemia, ca. 100 km2 The vegetation plots resurvey approach

Beechwood

Oak wood Oak-hornbeam wood

staré nové

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Ellenberg - Světlo

staré nové

4.0

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5.0

5.2

Ellenberg - Vlhkost

staré nové

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Ellenberg - Živiny

staré nové

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

Ellenberg - pH

Orig

. A. V

ever

ková

light

– c

anop

ynu

trie

nts

– ni

trog

en

acid

itym

oist

ure

4 Vegetation change in since the 1950sEnvironmental change through Ellenberg indicator values Darker & more fertile forest

Fraxinus excelsior shrub 52.2

Elymus caninus 49.6

Fagus sylvatica juv. 49.1

Cornus mas juv. 43

Galium odoratum 43

Acer pseudoplatanus juv. 41.8

Carpinus betulus juv. 41.8

Cornus mas shrub 41.8

Prunus avium juv. 41.1

Alliaria petiolata 41

Acer platanoides juv. 37.7

Tilia cordata+plat. juv. 37

Impatiens parviflora 36.7

Chaerophyllum temulum 36.4

Sanicula europaea 35.7

Galium aparine 34.8

Mercurialis perennis 34.8

Viola hirta 40.6

Trifolium alpestre 38.4

Myosotis sylvatica 36.7

Phyteuma spicatum 34.3

Avenella flexuosa 31.5

Silene nutans 31.4

Veronica chamaedrys agg. 30.8

Increased species:• tree saplings• nitrophytes

Decreased species: • not many

4 Vegetation change in since the 1950s Species composition spp. richness increase

4 Vegetation change in since the 1950sFrom coppices to high forestPart 2 Děvín, S Moravia, ca. 380 ha The vegetation plots resurvey approach

Species per plot

Sha

re o

f pl

ots

4 Vegetation change in since the 1950sNumber of species per plot (alpha-diversity)Species richness impoverishment

Verheyen et al., 2012, J Ecol

5 Diversity changes: nitrogen or light? 23 resurvey studies from Europe

Species richness change(per plot)

Gradient of N-deposition

Verheyen et al., 2012, J Ecol

Ellenberg N

Ellenberg L

Verheyen et al., 2012, J Ecol

Canopy cover

Tree shading

6 Climate change 1409 resurveyed plotsThermophilization

De Frenne et al., PNAS, 2013

Temperate forest inNW and Central EuropeN America

De Frenne et al., PNAS, 2013

6 Climate change Macroclimate vs. microclimateCanopy closure buffers thermophilization

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) / ERC Grant agreement no 278065.

Acknowledgments

www.longwood.cz