Forest history and ecology 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

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.

Written and map archival resources

perambulations

glebe terriers

estate maps

estate conscriptions

urbaria

account books

woodland surveys

forestry maps

forestry management plans

management instructions

cadastres

tax conscriptions

charters

2000 1500 10001800 1300

Orig

. P. S

zabó

Historical sources about the nature’s past

“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

History: “ecological” vs. “historical” resources

The 1800-barrier

older younger

Coppicing 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:

Price of wood sold from the Karlštejn estate, account book from 1428-30

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1 16 31 46 61 76 91 106 121 136 151 166 181 196 211 226 241 256 271 286 301 316 331 346 361 376 391 406 421

pri

ce

fo

r "f

un

is",

in

gro

sc

h

Orig

. P. S

zabó

Kozáková et al., 2011, The Holocene

Combining of resources and generalization

One must be very cautious…

Proportion of Abies alba in the Czech Republic

?

historical documentsPNV

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)• long-term stability

Moravian cadastres

The first record

Coppicing, our favoritetopic

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

• high forest

• wood pasture

Three basic managementforms in the lowland forest

most common in the pastmost common in the presentinformation scarce

Historical database

(built since 2012)

Historical database

(built since 2012)

Length of coppicing cycle

Hayley WoodE England

DěvínS Moravia

P. Szabó, 2010, ForEcolManag

Relative importance of coppicing in local economy (% of all incomes)sources: urbaria and account books

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1350 1400 1450 1500 1550 1600 1650

Orig

. P. S

zabó

1967

189218641805

2008

Increasing forest age in the past two centuries forestry maps, Koda, Bohemian Karst, ca. 400 ha

Orig. J. Müllerová

Age structure (years)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1805 1864 1892 1967 2008

více než 50

41-50

31-40

21-30

11-20

1-10

Orig. J. Müllerová

Increasing forest age in the past two centuries forestry maps, Koda, Bohemian Karst, ca. 400 ha

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

year AD

log

ge

d (

ha

)

18

05

ma

p

18

92

m

ap

19

49

m

ap

19

67

ma

p

18

64

ma

p

Logging intensity in the past three centuriesForestry maps and management plans, Koda, Bohemian Karst

Orig. J. Müllerová

Strong decrease since late 19th century

Czech Republic

Pálava PLA

.

Coppicing history on a small scale

Dendrochronology of

standards in Děvín

J. Altman et al., PLoS ONE, na revizi

J. Altman et al., PLoS ONE, 2013

Coppicing history on a small scale: DěvínEvidence 1: Release detection in tree-rings

Management plan 1925

Coppicing history on a small scale: DěvínEvidence 2: years with the coppicing

J. Altman et al., PLoS ONE, 2013

Coppicing history on a small scale: DěvínConsequences: recruitment of oak

Almost no recruitmentafter the abandonment of coppicing

Aerial photograph from 1953

5 km

Stability and change in an oak forest

Vegetation history of Dúbrava

Stability and change in an oak forest: DúbravaEvidence 1: pollen & macrofossil profilesThe forest hollows approach

E. Jamrichová et al., 2013, The Holocene

Stability and change in an oak forest: DúbravaEvidence 1: pollen & macrofossil profilesMajor change in around 1350 Corylus -> Quercus

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

Stability and change in an oak forest: DúbravaEvidence 2: archival written documentsBan on oak felling in around 1350

1350: Klečka („shrubs“)

1370: Dúbrava dicta Klečka

1509: Dúbrava Hodonská

1531: Dúbrava Hodonská + Klečka (naposledy)

od 1609: Dúbrava („oak forest“)

Stability and change in an oak forest: DúbravaHow it was reflected in the name of the forest?Change from Klečka to Dúbrava

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

Orig. A. Veverková

Vegetation change in since the 1950sBohemian Karst, central Bohemia Resurvey of vegetation plots, case 1

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

Vegetation change in since the 1950s: Bohemian KarstEnvironmental change through Ellenberg indicator values

Fraxinus excelsior keř 52.2

Elymus caninus 49.6

Fagus sylvatica juv. 49.1

Fraxinus excelsior keř 45.4

Cornus mas juv. 43

Galium odoratum 43

Acer pseudoplatanus juv. 41.8

Carpinus betulus juv. 41.8

Cornus mas keř 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

Vegetation change in since the 1950s: Bohemian Karst Species composition

Vegetation change in since the 1950sResurvey of vegetation plots, case 2 Děvín, southern Moravia

Vegetation change in since the 1950sDěvín, southern MoraviaSpecies diversity impoverishment

Species per plot

Sha

re o

f pl

ots

Verheyen et al., 2012, J Ecol

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

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