Pastures with Woody Plants—Methodological Challenges of Studying Their Present State and Development with Regard to Their Protection

Dear Colleagues, 

Pastures with woody plants, which are terms wood-pastures, are an important habitat, not only in terms of fulfilling a number of production and non-production functions in the landscape, but also with regard to various management methods. The management of these ecosystems has significantly influenced their appearance and quality throughout history in different countries and types of landscapes, and it speaks to the different human approaches to this type of habitat. In recent decades, we have witnessed a reduction in the area and quality of this type of habitat; however, there are types of landscapes where the area of these habitats is growing, especially with regard to how wood-pastures are defined, depending on the method used. Understanding the forces and pressures that affect changes to wood-pastures is key to setting recommendations for their future management and protection. At present, a great challenge, which is the focus of this Special Issue, is the methodology for studying their condition and development, and the results of these analyzes significantly dependent on the methodological procedure used.

Dr. Jan Skaloš
Guest Editor

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• wood pasture
• trees outside forests
• landscape history
• forest history
• GIS