Search

Woody plants in roadside green spaces of rural settlements provide a wide range of ecosystem functions and services. The study presented in this paper was conducted in three rural settlements in Western Slovakia, representing three different rural landscape types—lowland, basin, and mountainous landscapes. The assessed woody vegetation is situated in diverse settlement structures, with various spatial patterns. A comprehensive woody plant assessment was conducted in selected central streetscapes of three model settlements, examining spatial, compositional, visual, aesthetic, and other values, as well as the characteristics of woody plants. These attributes were clustered according to five main functions and fourteen value parameters and the results were assigned to three quality categories, to objectivise a qualitative woody plant assessment in roadside vegetation structures in the countryside. The findings show the level of suitability of woody plants based on how they fulfil aesthetic, compositional, climate, safety, cultural, and historical functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The woody plant species composition has been evaluated in three cadastral territories of southwestern Slovakia, together in 77 habitats of non-forest woody vegetation (NFWV). A total of 43 tree species have been identified; 8 of them were alien and 5 species were cultural fruit trees. In total 20 shrub species were identified, out of which 3 were alien. Three woody species are classified as invasive according to the law in Slovakia: Acer negundo L., Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, and Lycium barbarum L. They occurred only in 2, maximum in 4 of the evaluated habitats. The most occurring alien tree species Robinia pseudoacacia L. was generally identified in 58 habitats and in 48 habitats, with an incidence over 40% and dominance index of 70.6. The second most occurring alien tree Populus × canadensis had a dominance index of 8.3. The dominant native trees in NFWV were Acer campestre L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Quercus robur L., Salix fragilis L. with the dominance index of 1–5 only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation formations are an important component in the urban structure, as they perform a wide range of ecosystem services there. The climate modification to improve the environmental and residential quality of the city is one of the important functions. The paper presents the results of the microclimate assessment in the chosen localities of Nitra town, Slovakia, with an emphasis on the stage and differences in air temperature and relative humidity. The climate elements were measured at 7 spatially different sites (sites A to G), each of them at two comparative sites, vegetation stand and open area. The largest average air temperature difference between the vegetation stand and the non-vegetation area was 1.2 °C at the locality D. The largest air temperature difference in the vegetation stands was measured between the street space (site E) and the city park (F), reaching 2.3–2.5 °C. The relative air humidity reached the highest differences between the park (locality F) and the street space (G) measured at 3:00–8:00. These reached 19.6% to 24.4% with higher relative humidity in the popular city park. The highest differences between the compared habitats were measured at locality G and averaged 9.6% at 04:00 – 07:00 in a preference to a tree canopy. The research results confirmed the importance of the vegetation structures in the process of mitigating the urban climate extremes and the environmental quality improving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small sacral structures are significant elements of Spiš cultural landscapes (North-East Slovakia). This paper presents results of the field mapping of small roadside sacral objects and their greenery along a 66-kilometre long road section connecting North and South of Lower Spiš and the municipalities of Levoča, Spišská Nová Ves, Hnilčík, Mníšek nad Hnilcom, Smolník, and Úhorná. This road was an old trade route and has an important historical legacy in Lower Spiš – a traditional mining cultural landscape with a characteristic hilly topography, wide forest landscapes and rich mining history. The presented mapping was conducted within the research project VEGA 1/0371/18 "SacralArch: Preservation of the Historical Legacy and Architectural Diversity of Small Sacral Structures in Cultural Landscapes of Slovakia", based on the methodology elaborated by Tóth (2018), which includes localisation, spatial context, technical or health condition and an overall description of the sacral element and the woody plants in its direct surroundings. In total, 13 small roadside sacral objects were mapped, while the most prevailing elements are crosses. The most common cross type is wooden cross without pedestal. The oldest and aesthetically most valuable elements are metal crosses on stone pedestals, made of travertine. The most valuable element is a registered cultural monument – a Baroque roadside chapel of St. John of Nepomuk from 1726 in Smolník. Woody plants accompany only roadside crosses in the study area. The oldest and most significant in terms of landscape value are individuals of small-leaved linden trees (Tilia cordata Mill). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allotment gardens have played a significant role in Czech and Slovak society for decades, building upon a rich history of gardening. This article elaborates on Czech and Slovak allotments in the European context and identifies their core functions, services, and benefits. We provide a thorough historical review of allotments in this region, reaching back to the eighteenth century to trace significant periods and historic events that shaped society in general and urban gardening in particular. We analyze the development of allotments until and after 1989 and illustrate key aspects of their present situation using case studies and examples. The article provides a complex historical narrative as a good basis for discussions on contemporary trends, challenges, and visions for the future of urban allotment gardening in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-forest woody vegetation represents an important component of green infrastructure in the agricultural landscape, where natural and semi-natural forest cover has only a low land use proportion. This paper focuses on linear woody vegetation structures along roads in the agricultural landscape and analyses them in three study areas in the Nitra Region, Slovakia. We evaluate species composition and diversity, species occurrence frequency or spatial distribution, their structure according to relatively achievable age and origin. For the evaluation of occurrence frequency, a Frequency Factor was proposed and applied. This factor allows a better comparison of different study areas and results in more representative findings. The study areas were divided into sectors based on visual landscape features, which are easily identifiable in the field, such as intersections and curves in roads, and intersections of roads with other features, such as cadastral or land boundaries, watercourses, etc. Based on the species abundance, woody plants present within the sectors were categorised into 1) predominant, 2) complementary and 3) mixed-in species; and with regard to their origin into 1) autochthonous and 2) allochthonous. Further, trees were categorised into 1) long-lived, 2) medium-lived and 3) short-lived tree species. The main finding is that among trees, mainly allochthonous species dominated. Robinia pseudoacacia L. was the predominant tree species in all three study areas. It was up to 4 times more frequent than other predominant tree species. Introduced tree species prevailed also among complementary and mixed-in species. Among shrubs, mainly native species dominated, while non-native species had a significantly lower proportion and spatial distribution. Based on these findings, several measures have been proposed to improve the overall ecological stability, the proportion and spatial distribution of native woody plant species. The recommendations and measures aim at enhancement of native species biodiversity, landscape identity and character, in order to meet the main landscape and biodiversity challenges identified in key biodiversity and landscape policies of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]