0000000000285053
AUTHOR
Olgerts Nikodemus
Influence of De-Icing Salt on K Supply and Street Trees Ecological Status in Riga, Latvia
The study was conducted to evaluate the toxic effect of soil and plant pollution with Na and Cl− on K supply and ecological condition of the street trees (Tilia × vulgaris H.) in Riga during 2005 and 2007. The results revealed that the ecological status of street trees could be characterized as seriously injured due to high concentrations of Na and Cl− in soil (maxNa 1,568.1 mg/kg; maxCl 744.9 mg/kg) and lime leaves (maxNa 1.93%; maxCl 3.00%). The concentrations of Na and Cl− in lime leaves demonstrated a marked tendency to increase during summer, while the concentrations of K in leaves decreased (min. 0.15%). There were close correlations between the concentration of Na and Cl− in lime lea…
Toxic impact of the de-icing material to street greenery in Riga, Latvia
Abstract There is little information on the ecological composition of snow on roads as well as the toxic effect of de-icing salt on the ecological status of the street trees ( Tilia x vulgaris H.) in Latvia. Tilia x vulgaris is one of the most widespread tree species of street greenery in the boreo-nemoral zone – in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe. This investigation was done to find out the accumulation of de-icing salt (main elements – sodium and chlorine) in the snow–soil–plant system of street greenery in the central part of Riga (2004–2005), in order to reveal the toxic effect on the ecological status of the street trees ( Tilia x vulgaris ). Snow, soil and leaf samples were colle…
Influence of afforestation on soil genesis, morphology and properties in glacial till deposits
A study of soil morphological, physical and chemical properties was performed in woodland of different ages, in which spruce (Picea abies), aspen (Populus tremula) and birch (Betula pendula) growing stocks have colonized former agricultural land. The aim of the study was to clarify changes in soil genesis, morphology and properties due to the afforestation of abandoned agricultural land in glacial till deposits. The research showed that soil in these deposits (loamy sand, loam, clay) retains the morphological properties of agricultural land for up to 100 years. Secondary podzolization features in the soil profiles were observed within 100 years of the start of afforestation, whereas the dia…
Coherence between marine and land use planning: public attitudes to landscapes in the context of siting a wind park along the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea
The aim of this paper is to contribute to coherence in marine, coastal and land use planning and management from the perspective of landscape values. At a time when new sea uses are emerging and marine spatial planning laws and regulations are being adopted, but have not yet been put into practice, research studies are required that provide spatial planners with informed insights concerning public stakeholder attitudes to controversial policies. The undertaken research explored the attitudes of two important social groups (local residents and tourists/recreational users) regarding locating wind parks in the marine and/or terrestrial environment along the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The…
Soviet era landscape change and the post-Soviet legacy in Latvia
The collectivisation of agriculture and the development and application of land improvement “melioration” programmes and technologies, as well as the construction of kolkhoz centres during the Soviet era in Latvia was extensive and has a legacy on the post-Soviet landscape and agricultural economy. A study of a number of rural municipalities in different landscape types, through the comparison of maps from the early 20th century with those from around 2000, and one example with maps from the 1960s and 1990s, together with field work, revealed the degree of change that had taken place. In particular, there was a significant increase in forest – despite the kolkhoz system being targeted at in…
Influence of environmental factors on the spatial distribution and diversity of forest soil in Latvia
This study was carried out to determine the spatial relationships between environmental factors (Quaternary deposits, topographical situation, land cover, forest site types, tree species, soil texture) and soil groups, and their prefix qualifiers (according to the international Food and Agricultural Organization soil classification system World Reference Base for Soil Resources [FAO WRB]). The results show that it is possible to establish relationships between the distribution of environmental factors and soil groups by applying the generalized linear models in data statistical analysis, using the R 2.11.1 software for processing data from 113 sampling plots throughout the forest terri…
Element Inputs by Litterfall to the Soil in Pine Forest Ecosystems
Within the framework of the litterfall chemistry subprogram of the integrated monitoring program, litterfall was collected, and the concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, Pb, and Zn were measured during 1999–2003 at the Taurene and Rucava monitoring stations in Latvia. The results showed that at Rucava there was higher production of litterfall than at Taurene due to a higher tree density. The mean annual litterfall was 3630.42 kg/ha−1 in Rucava and 3022.11 kg/ha−1 in Taurene, with maximum production in autumn at both sites. The litterfall production among the catchments varied seasonally because length of growing period, composition of tree species, and density of snow cover. The higher Ca, Mg, and K…
Past and Contemporary Changes in Forest Cover and Forest Continuity in Relation to Soils (Southern Latvia)
A set of medium-scale historical maps was used to reconstruct changes in spatial patterns of forest area during the last 220 years in an agricultural matrix of northeastern Europe (Zemgale region, Latvia). Changes in total forest area by soils were determined, as well as the time period of continuous forest cover. Proportion of protected area for each soil trophic group was also calculated. Patterns of recent forest development differed between soil trophic groups. Afforestation occurred mainly on wet and poor soils in the 19th and 20th centuries, while the proportion of woodland area on fertile soils typical for nemoral forests was fairly stable. Only 1% of the fertile soil area has been c…
Rural Society, Social Inclusion and Landscape Change in Central and Eastern Europe:A Case Study of Latvia
The countryside of Europe is undergoing many social, economic and environmental changes as a result of depopulation and agricultural land abandonment. This trend, driven in part by the wide disparity of income levels between rural and urban inhabitants, is particularly evident in the Central and Eastern European countries such as Latvia, which joined the EU in 2004 and in 2007. Research was undertaken in Latvia in 2003, the year before it joined the EU, to explore this trend, as manifested in the relationship of people to the countryside, using focus groups and a questionnaire survey. The results showed that, although Latvians retain a strong regard for their traditional countryside landsca…
The perception of abandoned farmland by local people and experts: Landscape value and perspectives on future land use
Abstract Abandonment of agricultural land is a common feature of areas undergoing a range of urbanisation and marginalisation processes across Europe and beyond. This is also the case in Latvia, particularly in the period since 1990, when after regaining independence from the Soviet Union land was restored to its previous owners or their descendants. Many of these people have moved to cities and lack the interest in or the necessary capital for starting farming enterprises. As a result, large areas of land were abandoned, leading to spontaneous afforestation and with associated changes in landscape structure, ecological function and aesthetic value. While there has been an increase in resea…
Country-specific correlations across Europe between modelled atmospheric cadmium and lead deposition and concentrations in mosses
Previous analyses at the European scale have shown that cadmium and lead concentrations in mosses are primarily determined by the total deposition of these metals. Further analyses in the current study show that Spearman rank correlations between the concentration in mosses and the deposition modelled by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) are country and metal-specific. Significant positive correlations were found for about two thirds or more of the participating countries in 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005 (except for Cd in 1990). Correlations were often not significant and sometimes negative in countries where mosses were only sampled in a relatively small number of EMEP gr…
Management of Cultural Landscapes: What Does this Mean in the Former Soviet Union? A Case Study from Latvia
Concern about changing cultural landscapes has increased recently, with the advent of the European Landscape Convention placing signatory countries in a position of having to develop action for protecting and managing cultural landscapes. In countries of the former Soviet Union the landscape underwent many changes as a result of agricultural collectivisation and its aftermath. This situation has been analysed for six sample rural municipalities (pagasts) in Latvia, one of the three former Soviet countries to join the European Union (EU), using maps from the period 1901 to 1927 (to represent the ‘traditional landscape’) and 1997 orthophotographs updated to 2000 (to represent the ‘post-Soviet…
Transitions in European land-management regimes between 1800 and 2010
Land use is a cornerstone of human civilization, but also intrinsically linked to many global sustainability challenges—from climate change to food security to the ongoing biodiversity crisis. Understanding the underlying technological, institutional and economic drivers of land-use change, and how they play out in different environmental, socio-economic and cultural contexts, is therefore important for identifying effective policies to successfully address these challenges. In this regard, much can be learned from studying long-term land-use change. We examined the evolution of European land management over the past 200 years with the aim of identifying (1) key episodes of changes in land …