The history of Austrian pine plantations in Hungary

In Hungary the first experimental stands of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Arn.) were planted at the end of the 19th century. In the beginning, soil preservation purposes dominated, later, in the 1950s and 70s, wood production received more attention. Recently, Pinus nigra stands cover 70300 hectares, that is 4.2% of the total forested area of Hungary. The extensive monocultures of this tree are causing several problems from a nature conservation point of view, of which occupying the habitat of native communities and impoverishment of the local flora and fauna are the most important. Therefore, stands of this tree should be transformed and occupied by natural vegetation types, at least when found in national parks or other nature conservation areas. Fraxinus ornus L. seems to be an appropriate native tree to replace the Austrian pine on dolomite hills, whereas on sandy soils Populus alba L. can be recommended