Forest characteristics and forest types
Hungary is situated in the middle of Europe, at the central and Western part of the Carpathian Basin. The country’s topography and geographical conditions are quite similar with those of its neighboring countries. Hungary is mainly flat. Only 1/3 of the country has an altitude of over 200m above sea level, whereas only 2% has an altitude of 400m above sea level. The highest peak is Kékes-tető (1014m) whereas the lowest altitude is the floodplain of river Tisza (75.8m), in the south of the country.
The most characteristic regions in Hungary are the Northern and Transdanubian Mountains of medium height and the two basins: the Great Plain and the Small Plain. The slopes of the two mountains are mostly covered with forests.
The backbone of the country’s water resources are two big rivers, the Danube and the Tisza, whose
length in Hungary is 417 and 598 km respectively. Part of the natural watercourses originates from the Alps and Carpathians and flows into the two big rivers in the territory of the country. The largest lakes are Lake Balaton, Lake Velencei and Lake Fertő at the Austrian border.
Forest characteristics and forest types - Hungary
The majority of Hungary belongs to the European deciduous forest zone and parts of the Great Plain to the forest-steppe zone. However, the preserved original plant cover of Hungary is merely 9 %.
The large lower parts are characterised by small amounts of precipitation and extreme temperature changes. The natural forest areas are found in the Western Transdanubian region and mountains – generally at an altitude of over 400m above sea level. There the annual precipitation generally exceeds 600 mm , which is necessary for the maintenance of forests. In the
lower regions, forests can only develop on floodplains or where the water level is not too high but close to tree root. In areas with no water resources only brushlands develop which can hardly be called forests. As forests are needed at such areas for protecting and improving soil and agricultural areas or for providing recreational areas, drought tolerant species are planted (usually trees that are not native to the area). Thus, it is clear that climate conditions – mostly the annual precipitation and the related air humidity – and the presence or absence of supplementary water resources determine the areas where Hungarian forests grow.
The most characteristic regions in Hungary are the Northern and Transdanubian Mountains of medium height and the two basins: the Great Plain and the Small Plain. The slopes of the two mountains are mostly covered with forests.
The backbone of the country’s water resources are two big rivers, the Danube and the Tisza, whose
length in Hungary is 417 and 598 km respectively. Part of the natural watercourses originates from the Alps and Carpathians and flows into the two big rivers in the territory of the country. The largest lakes are Lake Balaton, Lake Velencei and Lake Fertő at the Austrian border.
Forest characteristics and forest types - Hungary
The majority of Hungary belongs to the European deciduous forest zone and parts of the Great Plain to the forest-steppe zone. However, the preserved original plant cover of Hungary is merely 9 %.
The large lower parts are characterised by small amounts of precipitation and extreme temperature changes. The natural forest areas are found in the Western Transdanubian region and mountains – generally at an altitude of over 400m above sea level. There the annual precipitation generally exceeds 600 mm , which is necessary for the maintenance of forests. In the
lower regions, forests can only develop on floodplains or where the water level is not too high but close to tree root. In areas with no water resources only brushlands develop which can hardly be called forests. As forests are needed at such areas for protecting and improving soil and agricultural areas or for providing recreational areas, drought tolerant species are planted (usually trees that are not native to the area). Thus, it is clear that climate conditions – mostly the annual precipitation and the related air humidity – and the presence or absence of supplementary water resources determine the areas where Hungarian forests grow.
Years of human intervention and natural conditions have changed forests and the natural environment significantly. There is no forest in Hungary which is unaffected by human intervention. However, even if forests avoided human intervention, effects of this intervention such as river regulation and air pollution could not be avoided. The proportion of natural-like forests in Hungary is 52% whereas cultivated forests that mainly supply wood account for 48%.
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