Late Holocene ecosystem change and disturbance dynamics in the High Tatra Mountains, western Carpathians

Abstract

Temperate mountain spruce forests have seen more frequent and severe disturbances such as windthrows and insect outbreaks during recent decades. Furthermore, the warming climate is predicted to increase the risk of forest fires in these mountain forests in the future. Alongside natural disturbances and changing climate conditions, increasing anthropogenic activity has affected mountain forests along the Carpathian mountain range. As this increasing impact on anthropogenic land use is coupled with changing climate, it is difficult to predict the future changes in mountain forests. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the long-term forest dynamics and disturbance history in the mountain forests ecosystems.