A public motor road net crossing forest complexes influences the natural environment to a very high degree. Soils in roadside forest ecotone zones constitute a certain filter buffering chemical contamination generated by motor traffic. The aim of the paper is to present the methods of identification of transport contaminants influencing the roadside stand condition. The results of monitoring roadside ecotone zones indicate the necessity of applying such technical appliances as oil‐derivative separators, filtering screens or geomembranes close to motor roads to limit the migration of chemical compounds and preserve the homeostasis of precious natural forest complexes. Biologinė ir cheminė indikacija pakelės aplinkos zonose Santrauka Transporto kelių tinklas, kertantis miškus, daro didelę neigiamą įtaką natūraliai gamtinei aplinkai. Miškų zonos pakelių dirvožemis veikia kaip filtras, stabdantis transporto sukeltą cheminę taršą. Darbo tikslas – pristatyti metodus, leidžiančius identifikuoti transporto taršos įtaką pakelių miškų būklei. Pakelių zonų būklės stebėjimo rezultatai parodė, kad netoli kelių būtina įrengti technologines priemones, pavyzdžiui, naftos produktų gaudykles, filtrus ar geomembranas. Tai leistų sumažinti cheminių junginių migraciją ir išsaugoti vertingus natūralių miškų kompleksus. Reikšminiai žodžiai: automobilių transportas, miškas, pakelės aplinkos zonos, pėdsekinis užteršimas, monitoringas. Биологическая и химическая индикация в придорожной зоне Резюме Сеть транспортных дорог, пролегающих через лес, оказывает отрицательное воздействие на естественную природную среду. Почва придорожной территории лесной зоны действует как фильтр, пропускающий через себя химические загрязнители, выделяемые автотранспортом. Целью работы было представить методики, позволяющие идентифицировать влияние загрязнителей, выделяемых транспортом, на состояние придорожных лесов. Наблюдения за состоянием придорожной зоны показали, что вблизи дорог следует оборудовать технологические устройства, например, по сбору нефтепродуктов, фильтры или геомембраны. Это позволит уменьшить миграцию химических соединений и сохранить ценные комплексы естественных лесов. First Published Online: 14 Oct 2010 Ключевые слова: автомобильный транспорт, лес, придорожная зона, загрязнение, мониторинг. Keyword : motor traffic, forest, roadside ecotone zones, trace contamination, monitoring

The manuscript presents the current state and proposals for the management of the old granite, quartz, and serpentinite quarries located in the Ślęża Massif (SW Poland, 50°51′51.22″ N; 16°42′26.80″ E), an area entirely covered by forests and protected by various legal protection measures. The quarries are abandoned and subjected to intense natural plant succession, so they are disappearing from the landscape. Nine quarries were analyzed regarding their natural and landscape characteristics. Due to the variety of their sizes, specific locations, geological–topographical traits, and forest and site conditions, the quarries may be turned into tourist attractions enhancing the social function of forests while, at the same time, ensuring their protective functions. If properly managed, they may contribute to the multifaceted development of tourism, performing scientific-cognitive, educational, sports, or cultural functions, and, as a result, to a partial reduction in the tourist pressure on biotic and abiotic natural resources along the presently most frequently used routes. This paper attempts to present arguments indicating that a former mining working site may be a positive and attractive landscape element in harmony with the vegetation cover, beneficial for both nature and humans.

The forest cover in Poland reaches almost 30% of the country’s area. Polish forests are characterized by high biodiversity. Unfortunately, in recent years, the forests of Central Europe have been affected by climate change problems, in particular meteorological drought. In Poland, even those stands which consist of species that were widely recognized as drought tolerant and easily adaptable to environmental changes are beginning to die. The article presents engineering methods applicable to forest environment protection, largely developed at the University of Life Sciences in Poznań and implemented by the State Forests—National Forest Holding in Poland, to minimize the effects of drought. Among the issues raised are ways to protect forests against fires, modern technologies for fire road surface construction and small-scale water retention in forests. A comprehensive solution to problems related to progressive drought is a must. Scientists and foresters are observing the dying of large areas of stands and, at the same time, intensification of wildlife migration due to the search for new habitats as a consequence of the drought. Therefore, the issue of building animal crossings during the current dynamic expansion of the road network in Poland has also been presented in the paper. Another subject pointed to in the text is forest tourism. Forests provide opportunities for recreation and rest to society. However, the increasing tourist pressure in some regions may cause adverse environmental effects. Finally, the paper shows some examples of supporting forest environment protection using remote sensing techniques. Generally, the aim of the paper is to present experiences and comprehensive solutions implemented in Poland.

This paper presents the effects of actions aiming at tree planting, and thus protection of the land belonging to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria (Nigeria) from erosion. This area is located within the northern limits of the Guinea savanna belt, which has been considerably transformed primarily for agricultural purposes. For years this area has been subjected to the destructive surface and gully erosion processes, which were documented both by field work and the analysis of high-resolution images presented by Google Earth. Land erosion leads to the silting of an impounding reservoir (Kubanni)—the primary water source for the university campus and the basis for its existence. Since 2000, the university has been actively involved in tree-planting efforts in the campus vicinity, executed mainly through the establishment of small plantations ranging in area from approximately 1 ha to 56 ha. Today, these measures have brought tangible effects such as increment of tree-planted expanses, as evidenced in the multitemporal analysis of the Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI satellite images. The increasing planted area protects both the soil and the reservoir. A marked stand increment (almost doubled) has been recorded, which is evident from the satellite imageries, and is presented on the land-use map produced with GIS technique for this project.

Forest roads are essential for adequate forest management and environmental protection. They enable tourism and recreation activity, while at the same time playing a very important role in fire protection. When open to the local traffic, they significantly supplement the public traffic networks. Costs of constructing permanent roads in forested areas are considerable, because they need to have adequate bearing capacity. Forest roads are predominantly constructed using natural or anthropogenic aggregate stabilised mechanically and chemically. A tangible parameter verifying the proper construction of road structure is provided by its bearing capacity, i.e. the capacity of the pavement to carry loads generated by traffic without excessive strains hindering normal use of the pavement or reducing its durability. Some forest road networks are also constructed as temporary roads composed of cheaper aggregates. It seems reasonable to assume different bearing capacity standards for such roads than for permanent roads.The aim of the studies presented in this paper was to develop bearing capacity standards for forest roads constructed using various technologies. The adopted research hypothesis assumes that each of the analysed technologies is characterised by a different bearing capacity required during road construction inspections. An example of such a structure may be provided by the so-called geotextile mattress and crushed stone constructed on wetland soils. When developing the standards, the analyses included the predicted traffic intensity, assumed operation time before rehabilitation is required, soil conditions and the type of construction material.Bearing capacity of the testing road sections was assessed based on values of strain moduli calculated from the static plate load tests (VSS). As a result, bearing capacity standards were obtained for structures constructed using aggregates and chemical stabilisers as well as geotextiles potentially facilitating reduction of the layer thickness without deterioration of road durability.

The aim of the research was to verify a common opinion concerning a positive influence of plants on the bearing capacity and durability of forest roads made of unbound aggregates. The surface bearing capacity is defined as the ability to transfer traffic loads without any excessive deformations which would hinder regular use of the surface and shorten its durability. It is a significant functional feature of any road. The article analyzed the influence of road surface plant succession on its bearing parameters. The research was conducted on sections of experimental road constructed using macadam technology and reinforced partly with a biaxial geogrid. Measurements were taken with a lightweight Zorn ZFG 3000 GPS type deflectometer with a 300 mm pressure plate radius and 10 kg drop weight which allowed to measure dynamic deformation modulus (E_vd) and s/v parameter regarded as an indicator of compaction accuracy of the studied layer. E_vd values and s/v parameters, which were obtained by measuring the road pavement covered in vegetation and after having it mechanically removed (mowed), were submitted to the analysis; next, they were compared with the results of an analysis done on areas naturally deprived of the plant cover and located in the immediate vicinity of the measuring points. The conducted research has indicated unfavorable influence of vegetation succession on the bearing parameters of the analyzed sections. The greatest drop in the mean E_vd value was 39%, and s/v parameter deteriorated as much as 9%. Hence, a regular mowing of the road surface (including the maneuvering, storage and passing areas) should be taken as standard and mandatory procedures of forest road maintenance.