Consequences of a 150 years’ history of human disturbances in some forest ecosystems

Abstract

Human disturbances in forest ecosystems have a long history in most countries of the world. Even before the need for arable land increased, the forest served as a nutritional basis for firewood and timber, fruits, wildlife and other products. In central Europe, about two thirds of the land — predominantly the more suitable sites for agriculture, but also sites in the vicinity of industrial and urban areas — was deforested over the centuries, and in the forests which remained there was also extensive exploitation.