Where do forests grow?
Forest area as a result of historical changes
For most of Europe, forest vegetation is the result of natural succession. If we abandoned the way we use our land today, the forest area would take up about 90 % of the continent, excluding only mountain areas above tree border line, sand dunes on the sea coast, big rivers and their surrounding areas where people have settled down.
Within Europe only the endless steppes, stretching from across the Asian plains to the north of the Caspian and Black Sea, where the insufficient amount of rain water prevents the growth of forests, can compete (with) our forests.
The percentage obtained by comparing the area occupied by forests to the total land area (excluding the area covered by water) is drastically different in different European countries. The more mountainous and less inhabited a country is, the higher the above percentage is. Forests in today's landscape is the result of limited human settlement throughout history due to unsuitable terrain (e.g. mountain and swamp forests), inappropriate climate conditions, infertile soil (poor coniferous forests) or deliberate decisions made by the rulers (hunting grounds).
The Mediterranean landscape of southern Europe indicates that cattle breeding is mainly responsible for limiting the reproduction and development of forests, which were cut down for timber and fuel. Forests were destroyed and burned down for forming farmlands. The unveiled soil on the slopes of mountains was prone to erosion, and rainfall gradually washed away the most fertile layer (formed by the forest), until it became totally barren. The degraded land, which was later covered in bush, could only be used for sheep and goat herding. Animals ate the new trees preventing forests from returning to their natural habitat. In this way, 90 % of all primary forests of Europe disappeared.
Within Europe only the endless steppes, stretching from across the Asian plains to the north of the Caspian and Black Sea, where the insufficient amount of rain water prevents the growth of forests, can compete (with) our forests.
The percentage obtained by comparing the area occupied by forests to the total land area (excluding the area covered by water) is drastically different in different European countries. The more mountainous and less inhabited a country is, the higher the above percentage is. Forests in today's landscape is the result of limited human settlement throughout history due to unsuitable terrain (e.g. mountain and swamp forests), inappropriate climate conditions, infertile soil (poor coniferous forests) or deliberate decisions made by the rulers (hunting grounds).
The Mediterranean landscape of southern Europe indicates that cattle breeding is mainly responsible for limiting the reproduction and development of forests, which were cut down for timber and fuel. Forests were destroyed and burned down for forming farmlands. The unveiled soil on the slopes of mountains was prone to erosion, and rainfall gradually washed away the most fertile layer (formed by the forest), until it became totally barren. The degraded land, which was later covered in bush, could only be used for sheep and goat herding. Animals ate the new trees preventing forests from returning to their natural habitat. In this way, 90 % of all primary forests of Europe disappeared.
During later settlements in the north, people preferred fertile soils in valleys and plains as farmland leaving less accessible slopes and wetlands as meadows and pastures. Changes in Europe’s forested land took place during the XVIII and XIX centuries, when mining and railway connection were undergoing intensive development. New forms of industry appeared based on huge amounts of timber. Trains became a new and convenient form of transporting wood, independently of the waterways used for floating down timber. Mass deforestation was also caused by the development of paper and textile industries, which used wood in chemical processing.
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Forest cover in certain European countries ranges from 86 % in Finland to 7 % in Ireland. That gives an average of 35 % in Western Europe and 47 % for the whole of the continent.
But do these percentages reflect forests’ role in the landscape of each country? There are high forests in areas where land is inaccessible for cultivation and human population is low. Forests for example cover the wild inland of Norway whilst people live on the coast (3/4 of them in cities). Moreover, the percentage of a country’s forested area does not include only forests. In Italy, where the forest cover is 29 %, only ¼ are forests with high trees. The rest is plantations (producing timber, cork and chestnut), forest trees for firewood, macchia and bush areas with a low percentage of tree species. The situation is similar in other Mediterranean countries, where climate, soil and most importantly history (including settlement), have pushed forests into inaccessible areas, unsuitable for growing crops or vineyards. |
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The upland and mountain countries (Slovenia, Alpine countries) have a higher level of forest cover because there are mountain slopes, where forests have a soil protective function, preventing mud slides and avalanches. Forests can also be helpful in case of increased rainfall. The crown of a single large tree can hold up to 500 litres of water. If a slope is covered by a multilayered forest then a limited amount of water reaches the mineral soil which is then steadily distributed to the soil. Understorey also slows down the speed of the water flow, preventing floods in river valleys. Depending on the intensity of the rainfall, forests can hold up to 85% of all water. This is the main reason of the high forest cover percentage in mountain countries.
On the other hand, there are countries with a very low percentage of forest cover (e.g. United Kingdom and Ireland – around 10 %), whereas in the past they were covered by dense deciduous forests (and coniferous in Scotland). Nowadays, only a few fragments of these natural forests have remained, such as oak and beech forests (south England and highland Wales), or pine (Scotland), all of which are treated as natural monuments. Other forest areas are covered by coniferous forest trees, used mainly for timber production.
On the other hand, there are countries with a very low percentage of forest cover (e.g. United Kingdom and Ireland – around 10 %), whereas in the past they were covered by dense deciduous forests (and coniferous in Scotland). Nowadays, only a few fragments of these natural forests have remained, such as oak and beech forests (south England and highland Wales), or pine (Scotland), all of which are treated as natural monuments. Other forest areas are covered by coniferous forest trees, used mainly for timber production.
Countries in Western and Central Europe are very similar in terms of forest cover, forest composition and structure. The percentage of forest cover reaches 30%. Native species are the most dominant, but there is a large group of highly productive, fast growing trees (especially various species of pine and spruce), created by the XIX century need for fast timber growth and harvesting. Despite long settlement and turbulent times, some of the forests have kept their grandeur, resembling the ancient forests of Europe. That was because rulers used isolated forest areas for hunting, which was not just for entertainment but it also provided food. That allows us today to enjoy the beauty of these fertile lowland forests, such as Białowieża Forest in Poland and Belarus and also New Forest in Hampshire, Great Britain, one of the oldest forests to be protected for hunting (since the XI century).
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