The influence of man-induced land-use change on the upper forest limit in the Romanian Carpathians
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The influence of man‑induced land‑use change on the upper forest limit in the Romanian Carpathians Gheorghe Kucsicsa1 · Dan Bălteanu1 Received: 22 November 2019 / Revised: 30 March 2020 / Accepted: 19 May 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The Romanian Carpathians are an important part of Europe’s mountain areas, the actual pattern of forest cover reflecting a long history of land-use practices and management. In the present work, we analyse the recent changes (1945–2018) in the upper forest cover along the 37 mountain units using old topographic maps and Sentinel-2A high-resolution satellite images in order to quantify several spatial indicators related to the upper forest cover and upper forest limit changes. In order to understand the regional variation, we have tested the correlations between the location of the upper forest limit, the local topography and the geographical position. Furthermore, with a view to evaluate the upper forest limit change according to its potential climatic limit, the 10 °C July isotherm was estimated based on WorldClim climate data. In addition, the situations inside and outside the major protected areas were also analysed and discussed so as to assess the possible regional differences as related to human effects. The results revealed a continued downward shift in the mountain areas located below the 1600 m a.l.s., but significant advancement above these values, indicating regional differences in land-use intensity and land management. This study is aimed to increase further knowledge as to the upper forest limit in the European mountains and to provide a baseline for modelling future potential change according to the environmental and anthropogenic variability in the area. Keywords Upper forest limit · Land-use change · Spatial analysis · Romanian Carpathians
Introduction Mountain regions are significant areas for the study of forest cover dynamics due to their sensitive response to human pressure, ecological conditions and climate change. Within these regions, the upper forests sometimes exhibit discontinuity regarding their distribution—the forest line (Jobbágy and Jackson 2000). This boundary constitutes the upper limit of the forest canopy, the product of a balance between abiotic and biotic influences (Scuderi 1987). This may display a variety of patterns, from linear or sharp to fuzzy or diffuse boundaries (Feuillet et al. 2019) and is often delineated as potential or actual. The potential indicates the limit that is primarily triggered by climate or other environmental Communicated by Lluís Coll. * Dan Bălteanu [email protected] 1
Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sect. 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania
factors. In fact, human activity has forced this upper forest limit to withdraw extensively (Tuhkanen 1993), the resulting line being considered to be the actual upper forest limit. The location of the upper limit, the spatial pattern and the change depend on the multiple interactions of f
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