The change of forest coverage in Lithuania
2015
Jukneliene, D., Aleksandras Stulginskis Univ., Akademija, Kauno reg. (Lithuania) | Valciukiene, J., Aleksandras Stulginskis Univ., Akademija, Kauno reg. (Lithuania) | Atkoceviciene, V., Aleksandras Stulginskis Univ., Akademija, Kauno reg. (Lithuania)
The article presents the Lithuanian forest land change in the period of more than a hundred years. The causes leading to forest land use change are analysed in the article. The beginning of forestry in Lithuania can be traced back to Sigismund Augustus times starting from 1557, when Wallach reform was launched. However, over time forest land and its use evolved for a variety of political, social and economic factors. In 1795 the state-owned forests in Lithuania amounted to 35% of the total area of forests; other forests were owned by landlords, churches and kulak farms. Later forests were cut down quite rapidly, many of them burned down, but reforestation work was insignificant. The smallest forest coverage during the analysed period was in 1945, just 16.5%. Forests were thinned out, wastelands and waterlogged areas dominated. Later, albeit with different variations, the forest coverage of Lithuania increased and today forest area accounts for more than 34% of the total area of the country, the majority of which are private forests. More detailed characteristics of forest land use and user trends as well as their causes are presented in the article. It also looks at the possible prospects.
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