Forest vegetation in the Bohemian Karst between traditional management and modern conservation

Forest understory vegetation in lowland woodlands is coming through systematical changes, which are documented from many regions. Abandonment of traditional coppicing management, nitrogen deposition and effect of high game densities in some regions are considered to be the main key drivers. Changes of seminatural woodland in protected area of Bohemian Karst were studied in this research. The abandonment of traditional management is probably the biggest environmental change in this area. Original data, semi-permanent plots with phytosociological relevés, were surveyed shortly after the last coppicing in the half of twentieth century. These plots were now re-visited. Partial task was to evaluate how important relocation accuracy is. Discovered changes have similar trends as in other lowland woodlands. After abandonment of coppicing, site conditions changed towards more shade and nutrient rich sites. Vegetation shifted to species assemblages of late succession dominated by shade-adapted and nutrient-demanding species. Slight decrease in gama-diversity, increase in alpha-diversity and decrease of beta-diversity indicated taxonomic homogenization was recorded. Re-visiting of semi-permanent plots was evaluated as appropriate tool for this type of research. Spatial heterogenity is partly affecting temporal change,..