For groups of ecological and social functions of forests, we critically assessed how individual functions at the first level of emphasis determine the management approach. For all these functions, we ...reviewed the Slovenian scientific literature in the fields of forestry, growth and yield science, nature conservation and legislative sources influencing forest function, and then we prepared our proposal on how to evaluate functions in the future. We propose an updated system of assessing and mapping of emphasized forest functions and an emphasis on close-to-nature management in these forests.
In this paper we evaluated key forestry related topics in the journal Landscape Ecology in the period 1987-2021 using keyword analysis to highlight which forestry topics have been relevant for ...landscape ecologists from the inception of the IALE organisation until present. Our analysis has shown that forests have far too often been just a framework for research focusing on management interventions in the forest. The three key words with the highest frequencies were forest/wood fragmentation, forest management and forest(s). Until now, however, we have not made sufficient use of the opportunity to study the field of forest ecosystem functionning at the landscape level. Suggestions for future reserch are therefore given.
Context
The Portuguese
montado
is an agro-silvopastoral system, similar to the Spanish
dehesa
, known for its cultural, economic and ecological value. Despite its importance, contrasting processes ...such as land abandonment and land use intensification, together with several other factors, have been responsible for
montado
degradation in the last decades. Biodiversitywise, assuring high levels of connectivity is vital for many species that, in turn, contribute to the natural processes on which a healthy and sustainable
montado
relies.
Objectives
To study the
montado
connectivity in the recent decades and infer what the changes represent to the short and medium dispersal species regarding habitat availability.
Methods
The study was conducted in an area delimited by biogeographic boundaries in Southern Portugal where
montado
is abundant. We used a graph theory based approach and
montado
maps of 1984, 1999 and 2014 derived from remote sensing.
Results
The results show a loss of
montado
associated to increasing fragmentation over time. This led to a global connectivity decrement likely to have negative implications for
montado
species. The most affected species are those more dependent on habitat characteristics, such as forest specialist birds, and those with low mobility that have lost great amounts of habitat not only due to
montado
loss but also due to the increasing fragmentation that makes suitable patches unreachable.
Conclusions
Given the
montado
environmental relevance, measures should be taken in order to stop its loss and preserve the core areas that have guaranteed the connectivity over time.
Close-to-nature urban forests and remnants of natural vegetation represent an important opportunity for urban residents to experience daily perception of and access to the natural environment. ...Despite there being a high percentage of forest cover (59%) and a favorable structure of the prevailing forested landscapes in Slovenia, urban expansion and infrastructure-driven development has severely weakened the connectivity and conservation of urban and suburban forests. The majority of urban settlements lie within walking distance of the surrounding forests (<1 km). However, only close-to-nature forests with relatively low silvicultural inputs offer ecosystem services sufficient to fulfil the supply and demand of the expanding urban population. In order to estimate the conservation of forests in the open space of Slovenian settlements, we used a spatial model of landscape structure and forest connectivity. The model can be enhanced with patterns of corridors and stepping stones of natural vegetation in the landscape matrix to provide support in the decision-making process of landscape planning and the conservation of urban and suburban forests.
LDTtool: A toolbox to assess landscape dynamics Machado, Rui; Bayot, Roy; Godinho, Sérgio ...
Environmental modelling & software,
November 2020, 2020-11-00, 20201101, Letnik:
133
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The “LDTtool” python toolbox is introduced. This ArcGIS toolbox can be applied to assess land cover or land use changes between two or three moments, considering landscape composition and ...configuration. The development of LDTtool occurs in a time when the studies on landscape dynamics looking at amount and configuration changes are becoming mainstream. The use of analytical units, whether regular polygons like squares or irregular like districts, allows to study at broad as well as at detailed scales, depending on the base maps spatial resolution and intrinsic quality. The ultimate goal of the toolbox is to assign each analytical unit to a type of dynamic. The paper shows how to operate the toolbox and provides a case study regarding the olive groves dynamics in Portugal in the period 1990–2018.
Display omitted
•LDTtool is a python-based toolbox to analyse landscape dynamics.•Considers landscape composition and configuration.•Uses vector binary landscapes.•Assigns Types of Dynamics to analytical units.
In the presented research, we studied the forest edge structure of urban and peri-urban forests on the outskirts of Ljubljana (Slovenia) consisting of a number of patches covering the collective ...surface of 1884 ha. They differ from each other according to the degree of fragmentation and by the share of the interior forest area. On the basis of LiDAR data, we conducted an analysis of the edges of the persistent forest patches and estimated them with regard to the land use they bordered on. The horizontal estimation of forest edges and the changes of forest edges, in the last decades, were estimated using digital orthophoto images of cyclic aerial surveys of Slovenia, from 1975 to 2018. The data, provided by LiDAR, were used to obtain an accurate estimate of forest edges and the metrics of their vertical canopy structure. On the basis of the canopy height model (CHM), we determined the height classes, the heights of the tallest trees, and indices of canopy height diversity (CHD) as variables subjected to a k-means cluster analysis. To determine the forest edge and trees stability, their heights and diameters at breast height (DBH) were measured and their canopy length and h/d (height/diameter) dimension ratios were estimated. In the study area of the Golovec forest patch, more than half of the forest edge segments (56%) border on residential buildings. After the construction of buildings, 54% of the newly formed forest edges developed a high and steep structure. Unfavorable h/d dimension ratio was estimated for 16% of trees, more among the coniferous than among the deciduous trees. Similar characteristics of newly formed forest edges bordering on built-up areas were determined in other sub-urban forest patches, despite the smaller share of such forest edges (19% and 10%, respectively). Tools and methods presented in the research enable the implementation of concrete silvicultural practices in a realistic time period and extend to ensure that adequate forestry measures are taken to minimize possible disturbances.
By analysing changes in landscape structure we can trace the influence they have on the evaluation of the diversity function of a forest. In the presented research, it was assessed which indices for ...computing areas, cores and aggregation tendencies that can be calculated with the Fragstats 4.2 programme best meet our needs, what limits they have and what we should pay special attention to. We considered differences in the resolution of incoming data and different rules for the calculation of raster cells. Both were compared for forests in two different landscape types: Kočevje and Slovenska Istra. The basic surface indices CA and PLAND proved to be the most suitable, while for more demanding purposes, AREA_AM can be used as well. For the evaluation of core areas, basic indices proved to be the most suitable, too, specifically TCA and CPLAND. Other important indices were the index of the number of core areas per surface unit DCAD and indices CORE_AM and DCORE_AM for a more detailed spatial evaluation of core areas, whereas most useful for the evaluation of aggregation tendency proved to be the patch density index PD.
European policies and instruments such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and many instruments for nature and landscape conservation in Europe have for some decades been dominated by ...centralisation and standardisation. This paper shows that this has led to the neglect of contextual and place-related approaches and an unnecessarily high degree of over-simplification. Recently, as a reaction to this over-simplification, diversity and specific character has been particularly stressed in many European and national strategies for rural landscapes and conservation, but the processes of simplification still continue. Using examples from mixed agriculture and forestry landscapes in Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden, this paper aims to contribute to understanding the gap between centrally defined strategies for rural landscapes and awareness and management practices at local level. The three countries are situated at the outer fringes of Europe, and are complementary with their different degrees of urbanisation, forest distribution and tree-richness in the agricultural landscapes. Furthermore, the aim is to show how local landscape management is driven and to identify factors contributing to a better use of public policies through a participatory process with visions for the future. Systems of landscape classifications such as landscape character assessment often recognise the specific character of these landscapes, but have so far achieved very little for the preservation of their locally specific values, nor have they contributed to the development and the creation of new visions for future management. Such systems could contribute much more if they could be opened to adaptation on a more local scale in communication-led management planning.
This article features a spatial analysis of forest patches, trees, and shrubs outside forests in part of the Kranj–Sora Basin in central Slovenia. Forest patch connectivity is explored using methods ...derived from graph theory. The graph nodes represent the forest patches and the edges between them represent the shortest connections calculated using a raster layer containing data on the resistance of individual land-use types. The contribution of an individual forest patch to habitat connectivity and availability is calculated using selected indicators. The findings show that the largest forest patches complemented by smaller patches constitute the basic connectivity tool. Thus, habitat size and close-to-nature structure are vital for the conservation of species over short distances. In conclusion, guidelines are presented for managing and mitigating the effects of further clearing the remaining natural vegetation.
Landscape transformations have been a central topic in landscape ecology due to their influence on ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation. Landscape dynamics can be very complex and one of ...the most difficult issues to analyse is the contribution and the effects of landscape composition and configuration changes to the overall impact. We enhanced an existing approach designed to assess landscape transformation via metrics combination. Based on the area and the number of patches, we defined a Landscape Dynamics Typology (LDT) with eight different dynamics. The agro-forestry areas dynamics between 1990 and 2006, in Portugal, is presented as a practical example to show the implementation steps and the outputs obtained. A diagnostic tree is provided to help identify which dynamics are present. This new method provides detailed results concerning the location of the different dynamics within a landscape. The LDT is a versatile tool and is able to accommodate upgrades.
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