Close-to-nature urban forests and remnants of natural vegetation represent an important opportunity for urban residents to experience daily perception of and access to the natural environment. Despite there being a high percentage of forest cover (59%) and a favorable structure of the prevailing forested landscapes in Slovenia, urban expansion and infrastructure-driven development has severely weakened the connectivity and conservation of urban and suburban forests. The majority of urban settlements lie within walking distance of the surrounding forests (<1 km). However, only close-to-nature forests with relatively low silvicultural inputs offer ecosystem services sufficient to fulfil the supply and demand of the expanding urban population. In order to estimate the conservation of forests in the open space of Slovenian settlements, we used a spatial model of landscape structure and forest connectivity. The model can be enhanced with patterns of corridors and stepping stones of natural vegetation in the landscape matrix to provide support in the decision-making process of landscape planning and the conservation of urban and suburban forests.

In the presented research, we studied the forest edge structure of urban and peri-urban forests on the outskirts of Ljubljana (Slovenia) consisting of a number of patches covering the collective surface of 1884 ha. They differ from each other according to the degree of fragmentation and by the share of the interior forest area. On the basis of LiDAR data, we conducted an analysis of the edges of the persistent forest patches and estimated them with regard to the land use they bordered on. The horizontal estimation of forest edges and the changes of forest edges, in the last decades, were estimated using digital orthophoto images of cyclic aerial surveys of Slovenia, from 1975 to 2018. The data, provided by LiDAR, were used to obtain an accurate estimate of forest edges and the metrics of their vertical canopy structure. On the basis of the canopy height model (CHM), we determined the height classes, the heights of the tallest trees, and indices of canopy height diversity (CHD) as variables subjected to a k-means cluster analysis. To determine the forest edge and trees stability, their heights and diameters at breast height (DBH) were measured and their canopy length and h/d (height/diameter) dimension ratios were estimated. In the study area of the Golovec forest patch, more than half of the forest edge segments (56%) border on residential buildings. After the construction of buildings, 54% of the newly formed forest edges developed a high and steep structure. Unfavorable h/d dimension ratio was estimated for 16% of trees, more among the coniferous than among the deciduous trees. Similar characteristics of newly formed forest edges bordering on built-up areas were determined in other sub-urban forest patches, despite the smaller share of such forest edges (19% and 10%, respectively). Tools and methods presented in the research enable the implementation of concrete silvicultural practices in a realistic time period and extend to ensure that adequate forestry measures are taken to minimize possible disturbances.

The concepts of ecotopes and forest sites are used to describe the correlative complexes defined by landform, vegetation structure, forest stand characteristics and the relationship between soil and physiography. Physically heterogeneous landscapes such as karst, which is characterized by abundant sinkholes and outcrops, exhibit diverse microtopography. Understanding the variation in the growth of trees in a heterogeneous topography is important for sustainable forest management. An R script for detailed stem analysis was used to reconstruct the height growth histories of individual trees (steam analysis). The results of this study reveal that the topographic factors influencing the height growth of silver fir trees can be detected within forest stands. Using topography modelling, we classified silver fir trees into groups with significant differences in height growth. This study provides a sound basis for the comparison of forest site differences and may be useful in the calibration of models for various tree species.

Urban and peri-urban forests are strongly influenced by urbanisation and infrastructure-driven development. The main objective of the study is to evaluate and assess key factors characterising of urban and peri-urban forests in Slovenian regions with large differences in landscape fragmentation, from the Pannonian Plain to the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea. To assess landscape fragmentation and potential urban and peri-urban forests (UPFs), we used a spatial model of landscape structure and spatial characteristics of forests’ fragmentation and connectivity. The basis for estimating landscape structure and spatial characteristics of UPFs was tested for the 69 settlements with city status and for 150 smaller, rural settlements, which are the centres of individual municipalities. Of the 219 Slovenian settlements analysed, forest core areas within walking distance were estimated for 98% of the settlements. The proportion of the walking distance area with forest cover and 100 m or more from the forest edge is no more than one tenth of this area for 45% of Slovenian towns and for 42% of smaller settlements. By assessing the gradients of landscape ecological variables and accessibility of UPFs, it is possible to compare UPFs in different regions and take them into account when preparing guidelines for spatial planning based on landscape structure principles at the local level. Large differences in the landscape and UPF fragmentation within cities and settlements highlight the importance of spatial planning that adapts to the individuality of the landscape and each UPF.

Knjiga s 33 vsebinsko izjemno raznovrstnimi prispevki je že osmi v vrsti monografij, ki bienalno predstavljajo znanstvene, strokovne in pedagoške dosežke in usmeritve na področju razvoja in uporabe geografskih informacijskih sistemov v Sloveniji. Združuje številne poudarke s področja različnih strok, s čimer geografski informacijski sistemi nudijo odlično priložnost za intenzivno interdisciplinarno sodelovanje. Tako se znanje posamezne vede bogati z dognanji sorodnih ved, kar omogoča nadaljnji razvoj posameznih strok ter sinergijske učinke v iskanju rešitev za porajajoče se probleme. Soizdajatelja: Zveza geografskih društev Slovenije; Zveza geodetov Slovenije