Abstract
A viewshed analysis is of great importance in mountainous areas characterized by high landscape values. The aim of this research was to determine the impact of reforestation occurring on former pasturelands on changes in the viewshed, and to quantify changes in the surface of glades. We combine a horizontal and a vertical approach to landscape analysis. The changes in non-forest areas and the viewshed from viewpoints located in glades were calculated using historical cartographic materials and a more recent Digital Elevation Model and Digital Surface Model. An analysis was conducted using a Visibility tool in ArcGIS. The non-forest areas decreased in the period 1848–2015. The viewshed in the majority of viewpoints also decreased in the period 1848–2015. In the majority of cases, the maximal viewsheds were calculated in 1879/1885 and 1933 (43.8% of the analyzed cases), whereas the minimal ones were calculated in 2015 (almost 57.5% of analyzed cases). Changes in the viewshed range from 0.2 to 23.5 km2 with half the cases analyzed being no more than 1.4 km2. The results indicate that forest succession on abandoned glades does not always cause a decline in the viewshed. Deforestation in neighboring areas may be another factor that has an influence on the decline.
Highlights
Any current landscape is a result of land use and development that has changed and is changing over time [1,2,3]
The results indicate that forest succession on abandoned glades does not always cause a decline in the viewshed
The surface of mountain pastures and glades has decreased [24]. This region is an excellent example for describing the problem of a decrease in viewshed, which is typical of mountainous areas in more economically developed countries [32]
Summary
Any current landscape is a result of land use and development that has changed and is changing over time [1,2,3]. Historical changes in a landscape determine the future direction of its development. They prove quantitative and qualitative changes in a landscape [5,6,7]. The conducted analyses make the accurate assessment of features differentiating the structure of a landscape possible in a designated time period. This research has an enormous practical dimension, especially when it enables the recognition of land use conditions and an assessment of landscape sustainability [8]
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