ZLV Online

Abstract

Considering the changing climatic conditions, the Czech and Slovakian vegetation has been vertically divided into Forest Vegetation Zones (FVZs) units. Each FVZ is represented by a specific tree species, i.e., the oaks (Quercus sp.), European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), silver fir (Abies alba Mill.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) and dwarf pine (Pinus mugo Turra). The FVZ concept has been applied in the Czechoslovakian forestry classification practice since the 1950s. Due to the broad time span of the studied topic, this article is divided into five chapters regarding the evolution of the FVZ concept. Its currently applied form was established primarily in the 1970s on the grounds of data gathered during two decades of forest typology research. An FVZ unit has become an upper unit of the Czech Forest Ecosystem Classification since its legislative codification in the Forest Act (289/1995) in 1995. To this day, however, the FVZ concept has not been reassessed by advanced, multi-dimensional statistical methods. This paper aims to describe key moments of the development of this concept and provide a perspective on its limitations, also in connection with current trends in ecological research. This review aims to provide a better understanding of the forest vegetation-environment relationship in the Czech Republic in relation to climate change, indirect anthropogenic environmental impact, and prediction of forest and landscape ecosystems response.