Past and present forest vegetation in NE Slovenia derived from old maps

Abstract. Using old military and cadastral maps and modern vegetation maps, the changes in land use over the past 230 yr were followed. The following maps were used: the military map from the second half of the 18th century, the cadastral map of the ‘Economic cadastral survey for regulation of land taxes’ from the first half of the 19th century, and a field map made in the 1980s. A vegetation map of the area was made on the basis of satellite images. We used basic classification techniques combined with extensive field inspections and aerial photographs. The output of this procedure was verified in the field. Additionally, a comparison of statistical data about land use categories is presented. It was established that the last remaining areas of inundated riverine forest disappeared 200 yr ago, and since then only minor changes in land use have occurred.